


A New World

by KookieTheBard



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Bionicle
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Elemental Magic, Fights, Gen, battles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-15 02:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 38,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5768458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KookieTheBard/pseuds/KookieTheBard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While on a special assignment, the Toa Mahri are transported to a mysterious and new location. They have many questions: Where are they, and perhaps more importantly, how can they get back home? Things don't always go as expected, though... COMPLETE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Selected

Hewkii woke with a start, breathing heavily. He put his hands on his mask. Another nightmare, he thought. He'd been plagued by these dreams ever since he had settled down after the defeat of Makuta Teridax. They seemed to highlight the darkest parts of the adventures he and his friends had recently experienced. The Piraka, the Barraki, the Skakdi-Fusion, and more.

Even Matoro...

He looked out his window to find that it was early morning. He was already quite awake and decided he wouldn't try to sleep any more. It would be pointless to try. He stepped out his door and took in the sights he saw every morning. Grass, sunlight, trees, other houses, and stone. Beautiful, decorative stone all around his house (courtesy of himself). He took a deep breath and headed into town. There was always work that needed to be done around the growing village where the Toa Mahri were stationed. The new council of Turaga and Agori elders had decided to call it New Stelt, despite the negative reputation of its namesake.

The town was located about three kio west of New Atero and was now home to around 4000 Matoran and Agori. The Toa Mahri and Turaga Whenua had been sent here to lead and guard it as it grew.

Hewkii stepped into the small town hall building where the job board was. He, along with a few other Matoran and Agori, scanned its contents, seeing which jobs he was best suited for. Practically all of them, he thought. He noticed a construction job on the south side of town and knew that would be the perfect thing to start with. When he was about halfway to the job site, someone came running behind him, shouting his name. He stopped and turned only to have Kongu slam into him.

"Sorry, Toa-brother," said Kongu as they stood after the collision. He used twin gusts of air to free their armor of dust. "Haven't quite got the hang of my wind-assisted foot-running yet."

"What's this about, Kongu?" Hewkii asked rather grumpily.

"This is about the Toa-team getting assigned to safe-guard the Ignika at the shrine this week. Brutaka himself specifically requested us." Kongu was obviously proud of the offer.

"But I was just on my way to—"

"There's no time for that! We need to go over there now. The others are already on their quick-way and we are standing here bickering about your petty day-to-day doings! Let's go! This is exciting!"

"Maybe I don't want to have the exciting job for once!" Hewkii blurted out. Kongu looked confused. "I like my 'petty day-to-day doings', okay? Maybe for one day, I could just live my life-like it was before I was a Toa."

Kongu was a bit downcast. "I suppose I can't force you to come, if that's how you feel, brother." He started walking away. "See you in a week."

Hewkii stood still, thinking. He could just go on, do his normal job, and not go to the shrine. If he left New Stelt now, he would miss that boat ride he and Maku had planned to go on tomorrow. But if he didn't go...? What would his team think of him then? What would everyone think of him for ignoring his duty?

No. He must be a good role model to all. Ignoring one of the key virtues of their culture would destroy his reputation, which would harm more people than just himself. People would start to get the wrong ideas about Toa…

"Kongu!" he called, catching up to the Toa of air. "I'm going to the shrine, but you go on without me. I need to leave a message for a friend first."

"Sounds great, Toa-brother," Kongu replied with a smile, giving Hewkii a solid fist-bump. "I'll save a rock steed for you at the stables while you talk to Maku."

Hewkii didn't ask how Kongu knew he was going to Maku and just shook his head before running off to her house.

* * *

 Jaller checked behind his shoulder for the 57th time since they'd left New Stelt. "Where are they?" he muttered. He, Hahli, and Nuparu had slowed their rock steeds to a walk to give their brothers time to catch up.

"I'm sure they're on their way, Jaller," said Hahli. "They wouldn't abandon us." A few seconds after she said these words, they heard the distant sounds of something running through grass. They all checked behind their respective shoulders now to see a Toa mounted on a rock steed rapidly approaching.

Kongu slowed his mount when he caught up to the other Toa. "Sorry to keep you long-waiting, brothers and sister," he said. "It took a bit of... convincing to get Hewkii to agree to this."

"But he is coming, right?" asked Nuparu.

"Sure. He just had to give a message to his lady-friend first." Hahli stifled a giggle at this. Nobody asked any questions. They simply rode on to their destination.

When Hewkii finally caught up to the other Toa, they had already reached the shrine, effectively having them all arrive at the same time. He had decided not to ride a rock steed, instead relying on his elemental power to tunnel through rock in the ground; much faster (and more comfortable, in his opinion) than the beast most beings used. He was warmly greeted by all and given time to rest and rejuvenate some of his elemental energy before they all headed into the shrine.

They had all been here before: once during its completion and again on another occasion like this one when they had been randomly selected to help guard it for a small amount of time. This time, though, it was not random. Brutaka, a high-ranking Order of Mata Nui member had specifically requested them this week. While all the Toa were still a bit suspicious of Brutaka because of his past deeds, they also knew that it was always a great honor to guard the resting place of Mata Nui himself. They walked through the halls, filled with ornate arches, pillars, and the like until they came to the lounge room where they were told they would meet—

"Axonn!" cried Kongu. "Good to see you, my giant-ax-wielding friend."

"Likewise, Toa of air," the mighty warrior replied. "Though I am a bit disappointed if my ax is all that identifies me to you."

"Well, I suppose I could also call you Battler of Fiends, Peacemaker, and Saver of Toa Backsides."

Axonn gave a hearty laugh before sweeping up all five Toa in a giant ash-bear hug. "I've missed you all," Axonn said, relaxing them. "Ah, Brutaka!" The Toa turned to see the blue and gold figure standing in the doorway. "Your team has arrived!"

"So I see," the other warrior said. He moved into the room. "Welcome, Toa Mahri. I'm so glad to have you here. The last few guardians we've had have been rather... unsatisfactory."

Nuparu noticed Brutaka's mask: he had an Olmak again. "How did you get your mask back, Brutaka?" he asked. "Last I heard, your Olmak was destroyed."

"It was. That mad Great Being we saved, however, was able to siphon out the power of the one Vezon had stolen and been fused with. He fashioned a new mask to hold the power. The new mask was given to me to replace my old one."

"There is no time for any more pleasantries," Axonn interjected. "We must get to business." Axonn set to assigning the Toa certain sections of the shrine to watch over. Once everyone had their areas mapped out, they all moved to them and began the slow work of keeping Mata Nui safe.

* * *

After a few days of keeping an eye out for nothing, Jaller was wearing thin. He'd patrolled his route outside the shrine time after time and had no action whatsoever. Even Nuparu had managed to be attacked by a crazy vorox.

Bells began to ring. The fire alarm! He looked up to find smoke rising from the south-west side of the building. He ran inside to go help quell the flames.

He arrived in a matter of minutes to find Hahli dousing the flames. Jaller absorbed the rest and asked, "Where are the others?"

"Axonn is down," she replied, "and the other Toa are chasing after Brutaka."

"Brutaka? Why would they be chasing him?" She told him as they ran to catch up with their teammates. In short, Brutaka had knocked out Axonn from behind, grabbed the mask, started a decoy fire, and ran for it. On the way to help with the fire, however, the Toa had run into Brutaka. They had split up from there.

"... and that brings us to when you found me," Hahli finished. "Can you believe he would do a thing like this?"

"Absolutely," Jaller grimly replied.

"Same here." And they ran on.

Nuparu was elated when he saw his teammates finally catch up with him and the other Toa. "Glad you could make it," he said.

"Glad to be here," Jaller said. "Now be quiet and let's chase down that son of a manas."

"With pleasure," Kongu said, giving the group a boost with a blast of wind.  
In minutes, the Toa had caught up with the fleeing Brutaka. "Strike as one!" commanded Jaller. Kongu stopped his wind and all five Toa thrust forward with their respective elements.

Brutaka, cradling his cloth-wrapped prize, expertly leapt and twisted in the air, effectively dodging every blast. When he came back to the earth, he did not continue fleeing.

"We should have known better than to trust you!" Jaller said to Brutaka as all the Toa came to a stop. "Once a traitor, always a traitor!"

"I'm touched, Toa of embers," Brutaka replied with a grin, cradling the Mask of Life. "After all I did to help save the world, to protect Mata Nui's spirit, you're still willing to fight me. Allow me to return the favor." He unleashed a wide burst of energy from his blade towards Jaller and his team. The five Toa all dove out the way. In that time, Brutaka had already started running again.

Jaller stood again and began racing after the thief. He would not let this being defile Mata Nui's residence! He launched a sustained blast of flame from his sword. Brutaka simply opened a portal and channelled it away. "Why don't you just use one of those to escape?" Jaller inquired. "You could already be thousands of kio away from here!"

"I don't need to," Brutaka replied, still running. "I have other plans."

The other four Toa Mahri had caught up with Jaller now. They were all throwing every elemental ability they had at Brutaka, and he deflected or sent away each attack. Even Hewkii's mask of gravity could not stop him: more concentration would be needed to create a strong enough force to stop Brutaka, and for that he would have to stop running.

Brutaka finally sighed and said, "I tire of this chase. You five are very boring pursuers." After that, several things happened very quickly: Brutaka activated his Olmak, but just as he did,

Hewkii sent a rock at his face. Brutaka was so concentrated on opening the dimensional gate, he did not deflect the stone projectile. It collided with his mask, damaging it.

A large portal in front of the pursuing team and sent them all away. Brutaka cursed. He'd intended to send them to a small pocket dimension he'd discovered a short time ago, but with the mask damaged, he had no way of knowing where the Toa Mahri had gone. No matter, he thought. Just another problem I won't have to deal with, I suppose.


	2. Bondage

Kongu lifted his head from the ground, sand sliding off of his mask.  “Well, that little sneak-trick never fails old Brute, does it?”  He looked around at his teammates in the bright sunlight to find that they were all still unconscious.  He grunted at their inattention and got to his feet.  He moved to Nuparu and kicked him in the side.  “Get up, earthbones!”

The Toa of earth woke with a start and sat up quickly.  He looked around them and asked, “Where in Spherus Magna are we?”

“How should I know?  We just got quick-sent through an inter-dimensional portal thingy.  We could be anywhere!  We might not even be _on_ Spherus Magna anymore.”

Nuparu nodded.  “True enough.  Let’s wake the others and figure out what we’re going to do.”  Together, the two Toa accomplished the task in moments and the assembled Toa Mahri stood in a small circle, ready to discuss their plan of action.

“Let’s go over what we know,” began Nuparu.  “First, Brutaka sent us through a dimensional gate.  Second—“

“It is very hot,” Kongu interrupted.

Nuparu looked slightly put off at the interruption.  “While you are right, that is not what I was going to say.”  He resumed his list.  “Second, we are in a desert.”

“That’s not very different from what I said,” Kongu put in.

“Actually, it’s very different, Kongu.”

“How?  We’re in a desert, and deserts are hot.  Same thing.”

“Not all the time, they’re not.  I’m sure the others will agree with me that your assumption is wrong,” Nuparu said firmly, crossing his arms.

“No, I agree with Kongu, actually,” said Hahli.

Nuparu was getting a bit frustrated now.  “Jaller?”

“I have to agree; Kongu makes a good point,” the Toa of fire replied.

Nuparu sighed, hand on mask.  “Hewkii?”

“I’m on your side, scholar.  I lived in the desert during my life on Mata Nui.  It may have been hot in the day, but it sure got cold at night,” Hewkii said.

“There, see?  Being in a desert is not the same thing as it being hot,” Nuparu said triumphantly.

“Fine,” said Kongu.  “Allow me to amend my earlier speak-statement: we are in a desert _while the sun is out_ , and it is hot.”

Nuparu, quite annoyed, looked to Hewkii.  “Can’t argue with that,” the Toa of stone said.

Nuparu was done.  “Can we _just_ move on, please?  What do we plan on doing here in this _desert_ that is quite _hot_?”  At this, all thoughts of how heat and deserts were related were dropped and the Toa looked to Jaller.

“Well, ah, we can’t stay in one place obviously,” Jaller began.  “We’ll need to move to survive.  I assume Hewkii can help us to last in the desert for awhile.”

“I’ll do my best,” Hewkii confirmed.

“Good.  Now all we need to do is pick a direction to travel.”

“North,” Kongu voted.

“Why north?” asked Hahli.

“Because Metru Nui and Mata Nui island were on the north end of the Mata Nui robot, and we came from those places.  That means good things come from the north.  So we should go north.”

“I see… Any objections?” asked Jaller.  There were none.   “North it is.  Let’s go.”

After hours of walking, the Toa were desperate for water.  Hahli had done her best to draw water from the air around her and managed to get a small drop of water, which she divided five equal ways among them.  After that, she had nothing to work with, and her armor took on a grayish tone.  They walked on until nightfall when finally they all lay down at the base of a sand dune.

Kongu lifted his arm and said, "This Toa of Air is hard-beat.  Who knew that after all those encounters with enemy-villains, the thing that brought Kongu down was _nature_!"  The others were too tired to voice their agreement.

Nuparu lifted his head and looked at the moon behind the top of the dune.  It was quite beautiful…

But wait.  There was something else atop the sandy hill.  "Guys, what is that?" he said, pointing at the obstruction.

Only Hewkii mustered up the energy to look.  "Looks like... a cactus.  We had lots of those back in Po-Koro."

"Didn't they have water in them?"

"They did..."  At these few encouraging words, Nuparu was instantly at his feet and scrambling up the dune.  He drew his blade and slashed open the cactus.  He (carefully) held part of the cactus and drank the greenish liquid inside.  

"Delicious!" he cried.  "Surprisingly thirst-quenching..."

Hewkii had managed to join him at the cactus.  "Don't drink it all, dry-bones."  He took the cactus from Nuparu and drank from it.  "You're right, this is good.  Nice find, Nuparu..." Hewkii turned to look at his friend only to find him sprawled on the ground and staring at the moon.

"Hewkii..." the Toa of Earth said, "when did Pewku get on the moon?"

Hewkii was a bit disturbed by this question.  He looked at the moon and saw the shining white disc replaced by Gali's kanohi Kaukau.  He flopped heavily onto the sand and began to have a conversation with Gali when he wasn’t giggling uncontrollably.

“What in Mata Nui’s name are they doing?” asked Jaller.

Hahli looked up at her two brothers.  “Laughing… babbling… who knows?”  She dropped again.  “I’m too tired to care.”

“Hey guys,” said Nuparu, sounding quite insane, “remember that Tuma guy we heard about on Spherus Magna?  I wonder if he was always eating _tuma_ ch!  HA!”

“Oh, Mata Nui…” grumbled Kongu.

“Nonono,” Nuparu broke in.  “He was too busy getting ready _tuma_ rch off to battle!”

“Make them stop,” Jaller said weakly.

“Can’t,” replied Hahli.  “Too tired…”

“You know what I’m gonna say to Tahu next time I see him?” said Hewkii.  “ _Hau_ are you doing? Heeeheeheeheehee!”

“I like giant fruit too…” Nuparu said in return.

And with that, the five Toa slowly fell into sleep, the deep embrace of which forbade them from noticing the cloth-wrapped strangers that rode toward them on skiffs…

When Jaller woke, mouth still painfully dry, his wrists were chained above his head to a wooden post.  As he became more aware, he noticed more of his surroundings.  The rest of his team was also bound to posts like he was.  They seemed to be in a small town and on a raised wooden platform.  There was a crowd of strange beings that appeared to be entirely organic and wore no armor in front of the platform.  One such being with some fuzzy substance covering the front of his mask-less face was speaking loudly to crowd.  He was walking by Jaller now…

“And look here!” he said, gesturing to the Toa of fire.  “A fine red beauty, isn’t he?  Very strong, very loyal.  And look at that armor; surely it could withstand the mightiest of blows!  He would make a fine bodyguard for any man!  As would any other out of the group, I am sure.  Do I hear a gold piece…?”  It was then that Jaller realized what was happening: he and his team were being auctioned off as slaves.

And that was something Jaller would not stand for.

“I am no one’s slave!” the proud Toa cried.  “Who are you to keep us here?”  He was already working on burning through his bonds.

The man looked shocked, but recovered quickly.  “I am Cranin, High Slaver of the Earth Kingdom.  I have captured you and your companions, therefore you are mine to sell.  Now be quiet, lest you face my whip.”  Jaller saw no whip on the man.  What a joke this being was!

“High Slaver, huh?  I bet you made that up right now, didn’t you?”  This angered the man further.

Cranin turned to the audience again.  “I suppose some of these may still need to be taught respect.”  With that, he moved his arms with a strange vigor and the sand around him formed into a whip in his waiting hands.  He looked at Jaller with hate, but Jaller also noticed a small measure of fear.

_Perfect…_

As Cranin swung his sand-whip, Jaller finally finished burning through his bonds.  He dove and attempted to roll under the man, but was too large and simply knocked him down.  Jaller was the first to rise and reached for his blade to find it missing.   _Of course it is; they wouldn’t leave us armed._  He took a few steps back from Cranin, preparing to fight again.  He couldn’t take the man now; it had to be a fair fight.

As the man got to his feet warily, people in the audience started to clear out.  Cranin looked at Jaller with a snarl.  “Look, you’re driving away all my customers!  I don’t know what you are, but you shall pay!  Nobody dishonors Cranin!”  He swung his whip at Jaller, who raised a great wall of fire that instantly turned it to glass.  Cranin gasped and watched as most of his weapon fell to the ground.  He looked back up to find Jaller pass through the flames and approach him now.  Cranin panicked: he wildly tossed up a large burst of sand into Jaller’s mask, making the Toa cough and spit.  Cranin back away quickly, gaining time and his breath.

 _How is this being manipulating the sand?_ Jaller wondered to himself.   _Is he a Toa?  Surely not; he has no armor, and he looks nothing like us.  So how--?_

All further thoughts were interrupted by a huge wave of hot sand blocking out the sun and threatening to engulf the Toa.  Jaller knew that another wall of flame like the one he’d used earlier would do him more harm than good, so he simply raised his arms above him and prepared for impact.

Suddenly, the top of the wave whipped backwards, falling towards it source.  Jaller heard Cranin cry out in fear, but the wave simply washed around him.   _This is a cowardly being if ever I saw one._

But Cranin’s cowardice did not explain the movement of the wave.  Jaller looked around for a clue while Cranin recovered.  The Toa of fire noticed that one of his brothers was awake.  “Hewkii!  Was that you?” he asked, approaching the Toa of stone.

“It was, and now you owe me,” he replied.

“Will setting you free count?” Jaller asked as he set about doing just that.

“It most certainly will not.  I require something more… special.”  Hewkii’s chains fell away.

“Let’s worry about repayment later and free out the rest of the team.”  The two Toa moved to carry out the plan, but stopped at Cranin’s cry of fury behind them.  “You go, I’ll—“

Hewkii put his hand on Jaller’s shoulder.  “Not this time, brother.  You’ve had enough fun for now.  I’ll handle this one.”  Jaller nodded and moved to the posts.

Hewkii stepped off the platform to face the slaver on equal ground.  They stood facing each other, neither moving.  Then Cranin moved his arms again, preparing what was sure to be another massive attack.  Nothing Hewkii wouldn’t be able to handle, but he thought he’d end this now.  He moved quicker than Cranin: he pointed one finger at Cranin’s head and a whitish-brown beam of energy went from him to the slaver.  At contact, a ball of stone with a hole for his face formed around the man’s head.  He struggled under its weight for a moment, all thought of attacking gone, but ultimately fell to the ground.  “Curse you!” he cried in a sore attempt to retain some dignity.  He tried to lift his head and failed.  Hewkii started walking away, smiling.  “You haven’t seen the last of me!” the slaver called.

“Sure, sure,” Hewkii called.  “I’d expect no less stupidity from your kind.”  He finally turned away as Cranin started to used the sand around him to grind away the stone sphere.

As he mounted the stage once more, Jaller had just finished freeing the other Toa, all now awakened.  “What’s the plan, Jaller?” Hewkii asked.

“We should probably grab some supplies while we’re in a town, maybe look for a map and transportation, then head out… somewhere,” he replied, supporting the still weak Hahlii.

“Right,” said Nuparu.  “Kongu, come with me to find provisions.  The rest of you, find… the other stuff.”  With that, the team split up.

The five Toa met on the outskirts of town about an hour later.  Plenty of supplies had been gathered, but no map or transportation had been found.  “We’ve got to head out anyway.  This town is too dangerous,” Jaller said.

Kongu chuckled.  “Nothing we can’t handle, obviously.”

“Even so, people here clearly don’t like us.  Are we in agreement?”

Most of the Toa nodded, but Hahli spoke up:  “Actually, there’s something I need to mention.”

“Of course, Hahli.  Go ahead,” Jaller replied.

“I found a small underground cave a short distance away from that platform we were on earlier.  I heard voices coming from the door, and I think there may be more captured slaves in there.”

“Well, let’s go free them immediately!” said Hewkii.

“And make the slavers hate us even more?  They might let _us_ go after the beating we gave their leader, but I doubt they’d let _all_ their slaves go,” Jaller said.

“But we can’t just leave them there,” Halhi said forcefully.  “We are Toa. We are heroes.  If those were our friends down there, would we hesitate to set them free?”  At this, all the Toa nodded in agreement.

“Right then, let’s finish this,” Jaller said as Hahli started to direct them to the cave.


	3. Escape

“Fascinating,” Nuparu mumbled as he ran his armored hand over the smooth outer wall of the prison.  “In all my years as a miner, I’ve never seen stone like this before.”  

His contemplation was brutally shattered when Hewkii buried his fist in the wall, sending cracks along its entire surface.  “Geek out later, o wise Scholar of the Dirt.  We have people to save.”  He removed his fist and the wall crumbled.  “But you’re right; I haven’t seen anything like this either.”  The Toa Mahri entered to find that the entire prison was made of the foreign stone. 

Hahli shoved past the gawking Nuparu and Hewkii and moved to the nearest cage.  “We’re saved!” cried a man in the far back of the room.  There were 10 cages total, each with about four or five people in them.  Hahli started hacking at the bars of one with her claw.  The metal only stood up to a few blows before shattering.  The now-freed slaves quickly left the cage, thanking the Toa of water profusely.

Jaller moved to another and attempted to melt off the lock on the door.  The Toa of fire was shocked when nothing happened.  He tried again to summon his power, but failed once more.  “Guys,” he began, turning to the rest of his team as they continued opening cages.  “I can’t use my elemental power in here.”

Hewkii tried to bring up a chunk of the strange stone floor, but he, too, failed.  “Strange…”

“We can’t worry about that right now,” Hahli said.  “We need to get these people out now before the slavers come by.”

“Right,” confirmed Jaller, drawing his blade to finish the work.   _ But should we really not worry...? _

The cage door flew open as he hacked away the lock.  The people inside hurried, but

the last man stopped by Jaller.  He grabbed the Toa’s hand and whispered, “Thank you, kind warrior.  You and I must speak later,” before following the rest.

Soon, all the slaves were free and everyone rushed outside the prison and into the sunlight.  Everyone shielded their eyes against the blinding rays and Jaller took charge. He stepped up onto a small bench in front of the crowd and said, “Okay everyone, my team and I are planning on heading north, and we’d like for you all to come with us to a safer place.  Does anyone have any objections?”

“We should head east!” shouted the man who had spoken with Jaller earlier, pointing in the appropriate direction.  “The Earth Kingdom capital, Ba Sing Se, lies in that direction.  Many refugees go there.”

“Sounds like a good place to go me.  Any other ideas?”  No one responded.  “All right then, let’s head out.”  Jaller stepped off the bench and was about to walk on when Kongu grabbed his arm.  There was a troubled look in the Toa of air’s eyes.  “Hahli, will you lead everyone out?”  She nodded and motioned for everyone to follow her as she headed into the desert.

When the group had passed, Kongu said, “Are you sure we can take all these people with us, Toa-brother?  We stow-packed supplies for five, not 50.”

“I’m confident we can pull it off, Kongu,” Jaller reassured.  “We’ve made it through worse things before.”

“Yeah,” Kongu replied with a bitter chuckle.  “Thanks to the slavers that quick-captured us.”

“What about the time in the Cord?”

“Nope, Mask of Life got us through that one.”

“Hmmm, right.  Kini Nui?”

“Stop it, Jaller.  We may have been through worse, but we’ve  _ never _ had to do anything like this before.”

Jaller sighed.  “I know, but I’m willing to try to pull it off anyway.  Besides, I see it not as a matter of can or can’t, but one of should or shouldn’t.”

Kongu nodded.  “With that, I agree.  I will go along with you, but I worry not everyone will be as easy-lenient as me.”

“I understand, brother.  Thank you for bringing up your concerns.  Input from you and the others is always valuable to me.”  They bumped fists and moved quickly to catch up with the rest of the group.

* * *

 

“... and that’s how we ended up finding the prison you and your people were in,” Nuparu said, finishing the story of him and his companions to the old man who’d wanted to speak to Jaller.  They had conversed as a team with this man, trading information.  He’d told them that his name was Rulom and that he was the leader of a small village, the entire population of which they Toa had just rescued from captivity.  They had not only talked about each other’s pasts, but about each other’s worlds as well.

“So this… Avatar,” Jaller began.  “You said he’s really the only hope you have for being free of the Fire Nation?”

“Yes, I believe he is,” Rulom replied.  “There isn’t a bender alive as powerful as he.  Of course, it would have been better if he’d been around these last 100 years… But I’ll gladly take an Avatar late over no Avatar at all.”

“And do you know where he is?” Hahli asked.

“Last we heard, he and his friends were headed to the same city that we are now, Ba Sing Se.  No one’s really  sure why he would go there, though.”

“Perhaps to prepare an army, to march against the Fire Lord?” Kongu suggested.

“Mmm, perhaps.  I suppose we may find out when we arrive.”

“Do you plan on trying to return to your village, Rulom?” Hahli put in.

“Unfortunately, no.  Cranin and his lackeys destroyed most of our buildings when he took us captive.  If we returned and tried to rebuild, who knows what else would happen, what with the war still goin on.  No, I think it shall be safer for my people and I in the capital; no attack has breached it before, not even the Dragon of West’s great siege could conquer it.  Now if you would excuse me, great Toa, I must speak with my people to make sure everyone is alright.  I haven’t spoken with my son since the prison…”

“Of course, my friend,” Jaller replied.  “And thank you again for telling us about your world.”  Rulom nodded and smiled at the team before moving to converse with a small group of men.

* * *

 

Night soon fell on the weary travellers.  The group elected to rest after their hours of walking.  Kongu was given first watch and all slept peacefully under his vigil.

He sat by a small fire he’d put together with the help of Jaller and looked to the moon above.  It was beautiful, but quite different from the ones that orbited Spherus Magna.   _ New world, new moon, I suppose,  _ he thought.  He moved his attention to the rest of the sky.  It was getting rather cloudy in their area.   _ I wonder if will heavy-rain… _ he wondered.  But that wouldn’t be a problem; he could always blow away the clouds if he needed to.

The Toa of air decided to experiment with this idea.  He waved his hand gently toward the sky.  A gust of air blew the distant clouds, allowing a few extra stars the shine through.

_ How pitiful.  I’m so bored that I’ve been reduced to playing with clouds. _

"That’s a pretty neat trick." said a voice from behind the Toa of air.  Kongu was startled, but relaxed when he realized that it was only a boy he recognized as Rulom's son.  “Can I join you over here?”

"Of course," he replied.  "Shouldn’t you be getting more rest-sleep though?"

The boy chuckled.  "Nah, I woke up earlier and couldn’t go back to sleep.  Figured I’d just stay up and help keep watch." He extended his hand.  "I'm Osus, by the way."

Kongu eyed the fleshy hand, decided that it would probably be best if he shook it, did so, and said, "I'm Kongu." They sat for awhile in silence, listening to the sounds of the desert and the snores of their comrades. "So," Kongu began, "are you one of these  _ benders _ ?"

"I am.  The first of my family in six generations." Osus replied.  "Earth is my element, though I have yet to truly master it."

"I see.  You may want to be talk to my happy-good friend, Nuparu, about that.  He knows a thing or two about the dirt.  He's the one with the black and silver armor," Kongu said, pointing to the Toa of earth.

Osus smiled appreciatively.  "I may have to take you — or rather him — up on that.  Spirits know I could use some help.  My father's crushed wagon is a testament to that."

“Sounds like an ever-exciting tale.”

“Eh, it’s more of a painful one for me.  I received ample consequences for not practicing in a better spot than our small barn.”

“I see.  Well, what better place to practice than in the desert?”  Kongu took a moment to listen to the sounds of the desert again.  To his left, he thought he heard wind in the distance.  He looked over and saw a large grey cloud that was low the ground.  “What do you think-guess that is?”

“I’m not sure.  Sandstorm?”

“Mmm.”  While that seemed likely enough, Kongu was still quite suspicious.  He got to his feet, concentrated hard, and sent a huge gust of air at the cloud.  It reached across the great distance that separated the source and the target.  When it finally hit, it blew the sand away to reveal several small mounted figures coming towards the watchers.

“They’ve found us…” Osus whispered.

* * *

 

Jaller’s sweet slumber was rudely disturbed by someone yelling in his ear.  “They’re here, smelthead!”  It was Kongu.  Loud, irritating Kongu…

“Who, windbag?” he mumbled sleepily.

“The slavers,” answered the boy next to the Toa of air.  Ah, Rulom’s son… Osus?  Yes, that was his--

Jaller’s eyes snapped open.   _ They want their goods back…  _ “How close?”

“One kio maybe,” said Kongu as he pointed in the direction of the approaching party.  Jaller rose and saw the riders: looked to be about 15 mounted men headed their way.

“Get everyone up,” the Toa of fire commanded.  “We need to be ready when they arrive.”  In minutes, every person present was on their feet and attentive.  Jaller clearly heard frightened mumbles and whispers.   _ I don’t blame them.  If they get captured again, they may experience a life worse than death, and I know death… _

Hewkii approached Jaller.  “We can’t fight them here.  We may outnumber them, but they look like the better warriors, especially if they can manipulate the elements just like we can.”

Jaller thought a moment.  “You’re right.  Any suggestions?”

“There’s a ring of dunes a little way to the north.  If we can lead them that way, we may be able to ambush them.”  
“No specifics on that part of the plan?”

“Not yet.”

Jaller nodded.  “I don’t have any better ideas.  Let’s try it.”  The noise of the crowd had escalated immensely during the Toa’s conversation.  Jaller tried to yell over the clamor, but was drowned out.  He decided to take a different approach: he lifted his flame sword in the air and shot off a column of flame.  Every head turned immediately.   _ Now that I have your attention… _ “We are moving to those dunes to the north!” he commanded.  “We will deal with this problem there.  Understood?”  No one spoke.

“Silence mean yes, let’s go,” said Hewkii as he walked past Jaller and toward the dunes.  As he moved on, the crowd decided to follow and moved with him.

* * *

 

As the party entered the circle, the slavers disappeared from sight.  Jaller found this a bit uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it.  Hewkiihad started moving up the eastern-most dune, the group still following.  Jaller caught up to the Toa of stone and said, “You sure about all this?”

“No, but I plan on improvising,” Hewkii replied.  They kept walking and crested the dune.  Jaller could see that the slavers were definitely following them.  He and Hewkii motioned for the people to stay low and hurry over the edge.

As the last person crested the dune, Jaller heard the slavers ride into the circle.  A voice cried out, “Where are you, weevil-maggots!?”  It was Cranin again.  Jaller looked to Hewkii for some improvising.  The Toa of stone donned a wicked smile and moved to an elderly man.  He returned moments later wearing a large cloak that the man had lent to him.

“Here goes nothing…” Hewkii whispered as he moved to stand atop the dune.  Jaller almost moved to stop him, but decided to trust his brother.

“Is it  _ I _ you seek, o beings of great stupidity?” Hewkii asked the slavers in his most booming voice, hood up, and cloak flowing spookily around him.

_ Mata Nui help us…  _ Jaller thought.


	4. Journey

The desert was, for a moment, silent. Nuparu could only imagine the faces of the slavers beneath him as he stood in dark, ragged glory.

"What is it…?" he heard one man whisper.

"I am the great Kojol," the disguised Toa of earth cried, picking a random Makuta name from his memory to use. He noticed his tattered cloak began to billow in wind that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. _Nice_ _one, Kongu._ "I am the spirit of the night, master of shadows, and this desert is my domain. You pitiful fools have intruded, and now you must be punished!" He whispered a few commands to his fellow Toa, then turned back to the slavers.

"What can we do, great lord Kojol, to escape your wrath?" another slaver asked.

"Shut up, you gullible idiot!" Cranin commanded. "Can't you see this is just a clever ruse, meant to mislead us?" He looked up and pointed at Nuparu. "I do not fear you! Return to me my stock, and we shall allow  _ you _ to go unharmed."

Nuparu crossed his arms and chuckled. "You're hardly in a position to argue. Have you not heard of me? I am the one who has thrown men into pits of despair, led warriors to insanity, and driven kings to madness. I have the power to keep you all right here and do the same... or worse." He thrust his arms to the side and, just as planned, Jaller threw out a ring of flame that surrounded the dunes. Nuparu heard the slavers' disquieted mumbles, and they comforted him. _Perhaps_ _we_ _shall_ _make_ _it_ _out_ _of_ _this_ _after_ _all. "_ Prepare to feel your minds slip softly through your grasp…”

He saw one slaver approach Cranin and have a quiet but frantic conversation. Finally, Cranin turned once more to the Toa of earth. "Very well. For the sake of my men, we shall leave," he said, voice filled with hesitation and resentment.

"Oh, it's not so easy as that. I require something more in exchange for your safe passage…”

The man that had spoken to Cranin rushed forward on his mount. "Please! Take anything, just let us leave this foul place!"

Cranin gave his men another foul look, but turned it to one of determination. "If you require, I shall offer myself in exchange for the freedom of my men."

Nuparu stroked his chin. _Perhaps_ _this_ _piraka_ _does_ _have_ _some_ _honor._ "No. Only supply me with the creatures you ride, and I shall allow you to leave with your sanity intact."

Cranin grimaced. Such a move would wound his pride. And yet… "Fine, then. Dismount!" All the men got of their mounts and waited for further instructions. "You wound me this day,  _ Kojol _ ," Cranin said, spitting the name with disgust. "Should I find a way, I shall take swiftly my revenge." He began to walk back to the town, waving his hand to signal his men to follow.

* * *

When all the slavers were well clear of the ring, Nuparu pumped his fist into the air. “We won!” he shouted in triumph, giddy laughter bubbling over. He stepped down to his comrades.

Kongu patted him on the back. “Well done, scholar,” he said. “I didn’t know you were such a great actor-fake.”

“Ah, well… It probably wouldn’t have worked if you two hadn’t helped,” the Toa of earth replied, motioning to Kongu and Jaller.  “I don’t believe my power alone would have created the right effect.”

After several more congratulations and pats, Jaller said, “We’ve been held up here too long.  We should move on.” The other Toa nodded in agreement.  “Rulom, do you know where the nearest town is? Other than the one we just escaped, of course.”

“I can’t be sure, as I am not familiar with this area,” the man replied, coming closer to the Toa of fire.  “Judging by the position stars and what little I do know, I’d say our best bet would be to head north-east.  I believe that is where Ba Sing Se, our destination, lies.”

“Very well, elder. When we arrive, we’ll figure out what our next plan of action is to get home,” he said, motioning to his team, “and also to make sure that all of you have a new home of your own.” He gestured to the people. “For now, let’s round up those creatures.  They’re our ticket to Ba Sing Se.”

“After that, I’m sleeping,” Kongu announced. “Either we rest, or somebody carries me on their steed with them.”

“Surely you could sleep on your own ride,” Hahli countered.

“I tried that once on a rock steed.  If I hadn’t woken up at the right time, I would have fallen off a cliff and into the claws of a catapult scorpion.  I’ll not be doing it again, so someone will  _ have  _ to carry me. That, or leave me behind.”

“You won’t need to worry about it, Kongu,” Jaller comforted. “I intend to stay the night here as soon as we finish catching the mounts. We shall sleep long and hard.”

And so they did.

* * *

 

As night approached, it was decided that everyone would keep riding.  They weren't willing to take the chance that Cranin and his posse was still pursuing them and ready to catch them while they slumbered.  According to Rulom, they should have been drawing close to the Earth Kingdom capital soon anyway.

Of course, Kongu hated this decision. He was tired of riding the Mata Nui cursed beast all day and wanted to sleep again.  He'd just begun to slump over the neck of Hus mount when someone rode up alongside him.  He looked up with a start.

"Oh, it's just you, Osus," the Toa of air said.  "Here to keep me awake?"

"That's part of it," the boy answered.  "A side effect of my desire to converse with you."

_ Okay then, _ Kongu thought.   _ We're good buddy-friends now, apparently.   _ "Of course.  What do you want to speak talk about?"

"Well,I was mainly wondering if you had anything... musical with you."

Kongu looked at his companion with surprise.  "Music?  Why?"

"My mother used to play music for my family back in our village.  I haven't heard any such sounds ever since we captured, and I've come to miss it more than I ever thought I would."

"Isn't your mother here to play for you?"

"No.  She and my sister were away when the slavers attacked."

"Ah.  Well, I might be able to do something..."  He started to retrieve something from his pack, but hesitated.  To do this would be to reveal something very personal to him.   _ But... Osus just told me something rather close-personal, didn't he? _

He removed his hand from his pack, now holding a small pipe, showing it to the young earthbender.  "It's not much, but it's all I have."

"I've never seen anything like it," Osus said, examining the plant-like structure of the instrument.  "Will you play for me, then?"

Kongu nodded and brought it to his mask.  As he blew into it and pressed the appropriate pieces, a lovely, haunting melody flowed out.  To Osus, it was an exotic tune, filled with the promise of something new and beautiful, much like the song itself.  To Kongu, it was a look into the past, a vision of what had been, a glimpse of the old life he still missed sometimes.

The song seemed to go on for hours, but was over far too soon.  As Kongu let the instrument fall, many people around him burst into applause at his talents.  He nodded appreciatively before stowing it once again.

"That was beautiful! Thank you, Kongu," Osus said 

"Anytime," he replied.  "It was good for me, too.  I haven't played that old thing in a far-long time.  Haven't really wanted to show it to anyone before..."

"Why in the world wouldn't you?"

"It's something a bit... personal to me.  See, that pipe used to belong to my old friend, Taku- Takanuva.  He had it when he came to village long ago.  He gave it to me awhile ago, before he left Metru Nui.  I keep it to keep-remind me of that place that I still call home, even though it's completely gone now."

"I'm sorry," Osus said.  "I know what it's like to lose a home."

"Mmm."  Kongu was silent for a moment.  "So, how do plan to reunite with the rest of your family, now that they don't know where you are?"  Before Osus could reply, the whole group came to a stop.  After hours upon hours of travel, the group had finally came upon the sight of a great wall in the distance.  

"That's it!" cried Osus.  "We've almost reached Ba Sing Se."

“I have to go speak-talk to Jaller,” Kongu said.  “Farewell, my friend, and thank you for the close-company.”  He sped forward on his ostrich horse met up with the rest of his team, leaving the young earthbender behind.

* * *

“Should we go on, make it to the city today?” asked Nuparu.

“I’m not sure.  It depends on the distance,”  Jaller replied.  “Can anyone tell how far away it is?”

“Mmm, I’d estimate about 200 kio or so from here,” Hewkii guessed.  “We should just be able to make it at the rate we’ve been travelling.”

“Are your people up to it, Rulom?” Jaller asked.

“We are a strong people,” the man replied.  “We would be willing to travel all through the night at this point.”

Jaller smiled.  “Well then, we go on.  Ba Sing Se awaits!”


	5. Justice

“You’re  _ absolutely _ sure it was him?” Helryx asked.

“There can be no doubt.  I encountered him escaping with it, but didn’t react fast enough.  I was knocked unconscious.  When I eventually chased after him, I found neither him nor the Toa Mahri.”

“I see.”  The Toa of water crossed her arms and hung her head in thought.  “Is it possible that the Toa Mahri were in league with Brutaka in the theft?”

“Not at all,” answered the black armored figure to Axonn’s left.  “I was with some scouts that went to find his exact location.  We scoped out the area quite thoroughly, and the Toa were not there.”  

Helryx just nodded.  “Any other observations of note?”

“How could you suggest such a thing?” Axonn inquired, just avoiding interrupting his superior.  “The Toa Mahri have only ever been our friends−er, allies−and they would never do such a thing.”

“I agree, Axonn, but as the one who must ultimately make decisions in this matter, I cannot disregard any possibilities.  And speaking of decisions, I suppose we must send a recovery team.”

“I could take a whack at this one,” offered the tall being who stood in the corner.

“Your abilities could certainly prove useful in this situation, Tobduk.  Care to join him, Johmak?”

The black armored female dipped her head.  “If you command me, I shall go without hesitation.”

“I shall go as well,” said Axonn.

“No,” Helryx retorted.  “You are too emotionally invested in the target of this mission.  That could prove detrimental to you... and, perhaps, the world in general.”

“But… I know him best…”

“And you can share that knowledge with the others.”  
“I… he is my friend.  I wanted so badly to believe he had changed.”

Helryx approached and placed her hand on his shoulder.  “We all did, Axonn.  We will see him returned and find out what we can do.  I have a hunch that it was not a mere desire for power that fueled this crime.”  Axonn gave her a questioning look, but prod no further.  “Johmak and Tobduk, get whatever you need and head out when you’re ready.”

* * *

Several hours later, the two Order members crested a dune to inspect their target’s dwelling one last time before heading in.

“See anything odd?” asked Johmak as she stood by her companion.

“He’s gone,” Tobduk replied, binoculars still held to his eyes.

“Mmmm,” Johmak hummed. “Wait, what?”

“I don’t see him in there.”

“He can’t have gone away,” Johmak said as she took the binoculars for herself.  “There aren’t any fresh tracks leading away from the building.  If Brutaka had left, we would know.”

“I agree, and that is exactly why I’m going in for a closer look,” Tobduk replied as he vaulted over the dune and began sliding down its sandy length.  Johmak grimaced in disapproval, but followed, using her shield as a sort of sled.  She received a slightly dirty look from Tobduk as she passed him.

They had nearly reached the small building and Johmak was taking a stealthy approach, stepping lightly so as to disturb the sand as little as possible.

Tobduk promptly ran up and smashed through the door with his shoulder.  Johmak decided to let him stay in there for a moment and suffer whatever consequences his carelessness would bring upon him.  Disappointingly, absolutely nothing happened.  

Tobduk stood at the ready, scanning the diminutive interior, staff up.  Upon the discovery of nothing, he began to growl.  “Cut it out,” Johmak reprimanded him.  “You sound like a wild muaka.”

“I admire the muaka.  It is a magnificent rahi, filled with beauty and rage.”

“Yes, well… he may still be around here and I’d like to maintain some semblance of stealth.”

“We’re past the point of stealth, Johmak.  We just need to hit hard and fast.”  He still looked like he was seething with rage (a difficult emotion to tell in someone so persistently irritated).

“And when there’s no one to hit?” Johmak questioned.

He growled again.  “That’s the  _ problem _ !” he said, accentuating the final word with an blow fueled with frustration to the floor.  To their surprise, the small tile wobbled slightly on impact.  Tobduk tested it with several more blows, each time noting how it moved.  “A door?”

“For certain,” Johmak replied.  “But it won’t open?”

“Nowhere.  It must be locked from the other side.”

“See if you’re able to pry it open a bit with your staff.  I’ll slip in and see if I can open it from the other side,” Johmak suggested.  Her companion nodded and, through a rather complex combination of pushes and pulls in the correct spots on the tile, managed to pry the disguised door up about an eighth of a bio.  With that accomplished, Johmak dissolved into several small black crystals that all flowed into the opening.  A moment later, something clicked and the hatch opened.  “Come on down,” she said.  “If you can fit, fatty.”  Tobduk gave a wry smile before following.

He dropped only a few bio to find a staircase leading down.  Tobduk could barely stand up straight in the tunnel; it was clearly designed for far smaller beings.  The pair steadily worked their way down with care; many of the steps were covered in a thin, slick black slime.  Johmak could practically feel Tobduk’s irritation at the slow pace.

After several minutes, Tobduk shoved ahead of Johmak, saying, “I can’t take this anymore!”  He attempted to take the steps two at a time, moving quickly, but promptly fell on his mask and continued to slide down the rest of the stairs.  Johmak did her best to move quickly (but still carefully) down the steps as she could, shaking  her head at her teammate’s repeated impatience.  

She found him at the bottom, not in a crumpled heap as she had expected, but on his feet and quite possibly ready for anything.  She glanced into the large room the stairway emptied into.  The room was carved in a circle from grey stone.  The curving walls were lined with sharp instruments, many of which Johmak questioned the use of.   _ Probably best not to dwell _ , she thought.  The most prominent feature of the room was the slab in the center of the room.  It was covered in small trenches, had a gold mask sitting atop it, and a large being huddled before it.

“We’ve come to arrest you, Brutaka!” she shouted at the prone figure.  “Come quietly and the Order may be lenient toward you.”

There was no immediate reply.  The pair gave each other a look, then moved in to apprehend their target.  Then he spoke:  “They say this place was used for ancient agori rituals.”  The two Order members stopped short.  “They used this altar in attempts to invoke the powers of gods that were mere mortals.  Utter foolishness, all of it.  And yet… there is something special about it.”  Brutaka rose to his knees, looking toward the precious mask of life.  “I thought maybe it could give me what I need.  But… it won’t  _ work _ .”  He pounded the altar, sending a web of cracks around his armored fist.  “I can’t get the mask to  _ make it… _ ”  His words sounded choked with a sob as he struck the altar again.

Johmak gave a concerned look to Tobduk.  “He’s clearly not in his right mind,” she whispered.  “Plus, if he keeps hitting things, he might hurt the mask, or… us.”

“So we move in and take him down?” Tobduk asked with a grin.  Johmak nodded.

“But I have to keep trying…” Brutaka said, shoulders rising and falling heavily.

“Brutaka,” Johmak said, moving to place a set of protosteel cuffs on his wrists, “you are under arrest for theft of the highest degree.”  When the cold metal brushed  his armored hands, Brutaka instantly flinched and turned to her, as if noticing the pair for the first time.

“Get back!” he shouted, rising quickly.  “You can’t have it… it’s mine!”  He backed up defensively against the altar, drawing his dual blade.  “I… I still need it.”  Johmak thought she heard something odd when he spoke.  There was… desperation in his words.

“Wrong,” stated Tobduk as he surged forward, swinging his staff with incredible strength.  The blow was blocked solidly by Brutaka’s weapon, a loud clang ringing unnaturally loudly in the small space.  “That mask belongs to no one being,” Tobduk continued, weapon still locked. “It belongs to everyone, as a reminder of the hardships we have all gone through together.  You were a part of that, once.”  Brutaka only stared back at him, eyes filled with anger… and genuine fear.

Brutaka shoved the lithe warrior away and launched a blast of energy at Johmak just as she moved in to help.  She caught the brunt of the shot on her shield, but the impact shook her.  Her shield grew hot from the absorbed energy.   _ Won’t be able to keep that up… _

As she recovered, she observed the fight.  Tobduk continued to trade blows with Brutaka.  When Brutaka tried shooting more energy waves at him, he just countered them with blasts of his own sent from his staff.  The two combatants appeared evenly matched, but there was an uncharacteristic wildness to Brutaka’s movements.  He swung his spinning blades with abandon, giving no heed to where they truly fell.  Raw power and strength were on his side, but this was certainly not the Brutaka that she used to know.

Once she noticed a pause and separation between the duelling pair, Johmak rushed forward.  Just as Brutaka rushed forward to meet Tobduk again, Johmak transformed into hundreds of tiny crystals in the space between them.  Brutaka’s heavy steps fell on the smooth bits, causing him to lose his precious balance.  As he fell, he received a knife in the stomach, courtesy of Tobduk.

“I cannot fall…” Brutaka whispered.  “He needs me.  And I need him…”  Slowly, he rose, legs trembling slightly.  “If I must kill you two, so  _ be it _ !”

With that, he swung his blades wide, unleashing a massive blast of energy into the room.  The two Order members did their best to brace themselves, but nothing could be truly safe from such an attack.

When the energy finally faded from the room, all three beings were on the ground.  The walls were cracked and most of the tools had fallen from their places on the wall.  The Ignika now lay on the floor, seemingly forgotten by its captor, who now sat on his knees, staring at the floor and breathing heavily.

Body aching, Tobduk rose up on one arm.  “We need to end this now,” he said weakly.

Johmak nodded in reply.  “I have an idea.  I’ll need you to toss me, then get in position to get in a solid strike.”

He gave a grim smile.  “Throwing things is a specialty of mine.”  Together, they stood, and Tobduk called out, “Hey, Brakas,” calling his foe by the name of a particularly obnoxious rahi from their old universe.  Brutaka looked up, but he lacked the rage that Tobduk had expected.  Instead, the Order member saw only despair and longing.

“Won’t you leave me alone?” he begged.

“You have committed unpardonable crimes,” Johmak said, preparing to put her plan into action.  “Now, you must suffer the consequences!”  She stepped into Tobduk’s hands and he used his immense strength coupled with his mask of accuracy to launch her toward Brutaka.  With a bestial cry, her target swung his blade in a wild arc toward her.  As she sailed over his head, she dissolved once again into a flurry of black crystals, Brutaka’s blade passing harmlessly through the cloud.  She reformed after it had passed and delivered a solid smack to his head with shield as she fell, stunning him.

By that time, Tobduk had gotten in close to Brutaka.  He swung his staff like a kolhii stick, striking Brutaka’s head once again, leaving the large being on the floor, blades dropped, consciousness nearly gone.  As they carefully pulled him up the slippery steps, he began to moan.  “No…  The mask.  My antidermis…”  Johmak nearly dropped him when she heard that.  “Mata Nui, help me…!”

“I think this is more serious than we thought,” she said over his grumbles.  “We need to get him back to the Order as quickly as possible.”

“Of course,” Tobduk said.  “I thought that was the plan anyway…”

Once Brutaka was secured in their vehicle, Tobduk ran down to fetch the Ignika.  With uncharacteristic gentleness, he wrapped it in a white cloth. 

“Forgive us our failure, Mata Nui…” he whispered, then moved to return to the others.


	6. Arrival

Nuparu stood in line, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He and the others intended to catch a train that led into Ba Sing Se, but they had to wait here first. Something about getting "tickets", Rulom had said. It wasn't the waiting that bothered him so much as the anxious gazes of those around him. He couldn't blame them, of course. He didn't expect anything different. He was easily 2 feet taller than any among them, and covered in pitch black armor. To them, he was strange and new. They didn't have to stare so much, though. Didn't their elders teach them that it was rude?

Of course, if he was honest with himself, these beings, these "humans", were equally fascinating to him. The scholar inside him had kept him constantly excited and happy in this new world. There was so much to see and explore, so much to know… and these beings were at the center of it all. They reminded him of the glatorian and agori, due to their organic makeup. He could relate more to those on Spherus Magna, though, because just about every one of them had a mechanical implant or two in their bodies. In a way, that made them resemble his own species. But these people here… they had nothing. They were completely made of flesh, with nothing mechanical in sight. It was fascinating, but also a bit disturbing.

The Toa of earth was shocked from his thoughts when he heard Jaller start speaking in front of him. They had reached the ticket counter, and the Toa of fire was speaking to the lady in the booth. "Yes, we'll take…" He turned around and began counting the heads of their group. At 20, Hewkii decided to cut in.

"Enough to get us all in, please," he said. "Just hand them out one by one until we're all in, then we'll… pay you, I guess. Somehow." As the people began to file through the booth, picking up their tickets and entering the stone train car, Nuparu stepped out to the side to talk with Hewkii and Jaller, who had done the same.

"So, Jaller…" Nuparu began, "how are we going to pay for this? These people don't have any money, and we don't even know what the currency is like here."

"We'll figure something out," Jaller answered.

"Think fast," Hewkii said. "The lines almost out." The three Toa stood in silent, futile thought as the remaining members of their posse received their tickets. The woman at the counter who had once eyed the Toa with great suspicion now held out her hand eagerly to them, clearly anxious to see their payment. Jaller showed his empty hands, Hewkii shrugged, and Nuparu began to sweat profusely. All three held out their empty hands and stared blankly.

"Hey! Weirdos!" The Toa turned towards the source of the voice to find a portly man with a long mustache walking toward them. "You three look like strong, hard workers. I don't know exactly what you are, but I'm willing to pay the fare for you all here in exchange for a little menial labor in the city. Whaddaya say?" All three Toa nodded eagerly. "Good. How much, ma'am?" the man said as he stepped up to the counter. As he was counting out coins to pay for their passage, the Toa gave each other a look, but none voiced any objections. "Come on, then," the man said to them as he stepped aboard the stone train. They all followed, looking for their teammates.

They scanned row after row of the train's seats. All were full of people. Finally, they spotted the other two Toa on the very back seat, squishes together to make room on the rest of the seat. Jaller, Nuparu, and Hewkii all sat down on the bench. All five Toa quickly came to the conclusion that whoever designed these vehicles did not exactly have comfort and spaciousness in mind. Of course, they were fitting far more bodies on the bench that it was designed to hold, but that didn't stop from being a bit bitter. Nuparu sighed, wishing they could just catch a break for once.

* * *

"Wait… all of them?" Nuparu asked, incredulous. He stood next to the rest of the Toa, staring down at the massive pile of barrels before them, easily twice as tall as he stood.

"Yep," their employer replied. "I need all o' these taken down to my warehouse in the upper ring. Not too far from here. You can load 'em up on this here cart I got yesterday. Fella sold it to me cheap." He gestured to an old, run-down wooden cart with two poles for handles jutting out from the front. The Toa gave a collective sigh and moved to start working. "Finish by nightfall and I might just buy your dinner!" the man said before walking away. Nuparu watched him just long enough to see him enter a small pub down the road. He only grumbled slightly before moving to assist his team.

"This better be worth it," Kongu muttered. "My feet were already pain-aching, now we have to lug all these blasted barrels up the long-hill… will our torment never end!?" he cried, throwing his fists into the air.

"Calm down, Kongu," Hahli said. "We're in public…"

"She's right," Jaller said. "And while you're in the process of shutting up, you can come over and start loading barrels."

"There has to be a way to make this easier," Hewkii said as he dropped a barrel onto the cart. "Maybe we can use our elemental powers to get us to the warehouse quicker."

"Maybe…" Jaller mused. "I don't see why not. But… how, exactly?" The work continued as each Toa considered ways of making the best of the situation.

"Hahli, Jaller, and I could all get in the cart and use our powers to thrust the cart up the long-hill," Kongu suggested. "Like a… Toa-rocket."

"That's… one idea, I suppose," Jaller said.

"What's a rocket?" Hahli whispered to Nuparu, who simply shrugged in response.

Hewkii picked up a barrel and gave it a shake, holding it to the side of his head. "Sounds like liquid inside. Can you control it, Hahli?"

The Toa of water gave the barrel a focused glare as she mentally searched its contents. "There's definitely some water in there, but its not pure. I should be able to exert some influence over it."

"That's a start," Jaller said. "Any additional suggestions?"

"I bet Hewkii and I could smooth out the road," Nuparu added. "That should make things a little easier."

Kongu raised his hand. "I have one more suggestion…"

* * *

"Faster!" Kongu cheered as he rode in the wagon beside several barrels. "You are Toa! You can do better than this."

Jaller grumbled as he walked next to cart, carrying a barrel on his own. "Why did we agree to this?"

"We didn't," Hewkii said as he both of his barrels. "You did."

"Quiet! Less mouth-talking, more barrel-carrying!" Kongu snapped.

Hahli continued to use her power over the liquid in the barrels that they'd put in the wagon as Nuparu pushed it. With their combined force, they were able to transport far more barrels in the cart than they would have normally. Those in the wagon coupled with those the other Toa carried allowed them to take the entire stash up the hill in one go. "You aren't making this any easier, Kongu," Hahli said.

"Yeah," Nuparu agreed. "You're actually making it harder. If you really want to help, get off and carry some barrels yourself."

"Or," Kongu said, "I could give both of your lovely masks a whiff of air. It'll cool you down!" Hahli and Nuparu grimaced as he did so. The distraction left the wagon faltering for a moment. "Hey! Don't let me fall down this hill!" Kongu cried. "I really don't want to have to foot-walk all the way back up here…"

Hahli decided she had had enough. She gathered some water from the surrounding air and thrust it in a powerful jet toward Kongu. The Toa of air yelped as he was blasted off the wagon.

"Wow," Nuparu said. "That made this surprisingly easier. You are clearly not as light as your element, brother."

"Neither are you!" Kongu snapped from the ground. "Wait…" Nuparu just chuckled and kept pushing.

Within the hour, they had delivered the entire shipment of barrels to the warehouse. "Good thing we're all so think-smart," Kongu remarked.

"Most of us…" Nuparu muttered, trying to hide a grin.

"We should head back to the inn to meet with Rulom one last time before we get back to looking for a way home," Jaller said.

As they walked down the slowly emptying streets, the sky slowly began to evolve from orange and purple to the hollow black of night, studded with stars. Idle conversation helped the time to pass as the Toa enjoyed not having to push a small cart filled with too many barrels.

"What kind of food do you think they eat here?" asked Nuparu.

"I don't know yet, but it has to be better than thornax fruit…" Hewkii said. He shivered a bit as he recalled the time a glatorian - Tarix was his name - had convinced him to try one of the spiked plants. It was an experience he would never forget, though part of him wished he could.

"Did you hear about what happened to the Avatar?" Nuparu turned to look toward the source of the unexpected words. He saw two men speaking with each other down an alley in hushed tones. He made it to the other end of the alley and backed against the edge of the wall, waiting for more, all while trying to ignore the questioning looks from his teammates.

"Not much," the other man replied from inside the alley. "Just that he was fleeing the city." The other Toa heard this and stopped staring at Nuparu. They, too, gathered near the alley, curious about what other information there was to gather.

"Well I heard he was dead," the first man said. "Shot dead by the Fire Nation princess."

"Pffsh," the second man sputtered. "That's preposterous! She couldn't possibly have gotten inside our city."

"I don't know how she did it, but I'm sure it's true. I heard it from the Dai Li themselves."

A small pause. "Oh…" the second man said wistfully. "That would be a rather reliable source…"

"I thought I saw the Avatar's sky bison myself earlier. Looked like it was headed west, towards the Fire Nation."

"Huh. What could he and his friends do there? Or rather, just his friends. Could they be planning something?"

"That would make sense. But with the Avatar gone… I don't know what chance they stand."

"Indeed… well, this topic is far too stressful for me. What say we grab a drink?"

"You buying?" And then they were gone, their footsteps echoing down the alley as they retreated.

"Fascinating…" Nuparu whispered. "The Avatar… dead? What an odd turn of events."

"If what Rulom told us is true, these people most likely don't stand a chance of defeating the Fire Nation now," Hahli mused. "I almost wish we could stay and help…"

"And what's to stop us?" Kongu questioned. "We are Toa heroes, after all. Our world is safe, and now we have an opportunity to safe-protect another. We were never locked to being heroes for just one people."

Jaller nodded. "Yes, but we actually don't know that our world is safe. As far as we know, Brutaka is still in possession of the Ignika. Who knows what he could do with it if he's able to tap its power."

"And what are we to do about it? We have no leads as to how to get home. We could stay to help the people here, but keep our ears to the ground," Hahli suggested. There was a pause as each Toa considered the implications.

Jaller looked to Hewkii, who seemed more reserved than the others. "Hewkii? Your thoughts?"

"I think we should try to get out of this place as soon as possible," Hewkii replied. "I didn't become a Toa so I could defend this world's beings. They have their own protectors. Whether they've failed or not is not our business. We are the protectors of our world. I say we talk to as many people as we can, find what information is available to help us find a way home, and leave."

Jaller nodded. "I see. I understand where you're coming from. I want to get home too, we all do. But I have no idea where to start to achieve that goal. I hadn't wanted to admit it before, but Kongu is right. We have no details to our plan right now. There would be no harm in helping these beings. They may fall if we don't. Our world can wait; this one can't."

Hewkii closed his eyes, near resigned. "For so long, my life has been one chaotic event after another. For a while, a precious few weeks, I was able to settle down and live a normal life for the first time in a thousand years. I just want to get back to that as quickly as I can." He turned to his comrades. "I'll go along with you for now, but I can't guarantee that I'll make it to the end of whatever insane goal you concoct if we find a way out."

Jaller smiled. "Very well, Hewkii. Now, before we go on any sort of world-saving adventure, I believe it's about time we really do find out what kind of food they have here…"


	7. Pursuit

"Rulom, my friend," Jaller said, "it is time for us to take our leave of you. Our duty calls us elsewhere."

The elder man nodded. "I suspected you would be leaving soon. And I am glad that you are ready to. My people will be able to settle here, thanks to you. We owe you all so much, Toa Mahri."

"And we you, Turaga," Nuparu said. At the strange glances from his team and from Rulom, he grew embarrassed. "Er, sir... Elder? I'm sorry, I don't..."

Rulom laughed. "Don't worry yourself, Toa Nuparu. I understand."

Nuparu smiled. "As I was saying, we are indebted to you as well. You have taught us all so much about your world while we traveled. I can't thank you enough for that."

"Maybe we should leave you here," Kongu suggested. "Then you two can swap stories well into the night." This earned a few giggles (far less than the Toa of air had been hoping for).

"I can't say I wouldn't enjoy that," Nuparu said.

"Nor I," Rulom agreed. "But you must all go. Together." All the Toa nodded in agreement. Kongu shot a questioning glance at Hewkii, who just scowled in response.

* * *

"So nice of that merchant to let us have these bird things free of charge," Kongu said. The five Toa had set out only an hour or so ago into the barren desert once again. The sun beat down on their armored bodies, and hot gusts of air swept sand into their masked faces, sometimes obscuring sight. "Now we can slowly destroy our rears as we ride to defeat bad evil!"

"I feel kind of guilty, though," Hahli said. "The merchant just looked terrified when we asked to purchase these. I think he just gave them to us out of fear."

"I feel the same way," Jaller said. "If we have the chance, we'll repay him someday."

"We are repaying him" Hewkii said. "Since we're using these to try to save the world, I'd say he's getting a pretty good deal."

"That's a… rather negative way of looking at things," Nuparu muttered. "Being heroes doesn't mean we get to just take whatever want from people." Hewkii gave no reply.

The Toa of stone still seemed to be bitter from the decision to put getting home on the back burner. This new mission to save this new world bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He knew is his heart that it was the right thing to do, but… part of him was just tired of adventuring. The last thousand years had been brutal to him. Fighting off Rahi and Bohrok, travelling to Voya Nui, fighting the Piraka and the Barraki, then being dropped into a new planet, forced to settle there, and now this. _Another_ new planet, of all things. New people to save. New enemies to fight. He just wanted it all to end.

He was just so… tired. And Toa were not beings who were able to rest often.

"So…" Nuparu said as he studied a map he had picked up before leaving Ba Sing Se. "If we keep going in this direction, we should reach the… Serpent's Pass."

"How long will that take?" Jaller asked.

"I, ah… I'm not sure. I don't know how fast we're going, I don't know where exactly we are, and I don't know how far it is."

"So you've gotten us far lost," Kongu said with a wry grin. "Great work, Toa of silt."

"We aren't lost," Nuparu retorted. "We just… don't know where we are, exactly. We know what direction we need to head, though, and that's enough to get us to our destination."

"Assuming we haven't gotten turned around," Hahli speculated. "Are you sure you can't guess where we are more accurately, Nuparu?"

Nuparu checked his map again. "Well, no, but if we see a landmark, I should be able to tell then."

Jaller nodded. "We're trusting you to get us there, Nuparu."

"Hey, if one of you wants to take over, you're more than welcome to." "No no, that's all right. Just… make sure you don't mess it up."

Nuparu spread his arms. "Oh come on. When have I _ever_ messed things up?" A sudden gust of wind snatched the map out of Nuparu's ebon hand, carrying it off toward distant dunes. "Uh… I should be able to remember most of that. I think there's supposed to be some giant green boulder or something…"

Exercising the first virtue, the other Toa groaned in unison.

* * *

"Does anyone else see those specks quick moving toward us?" Kongu asked, hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked to the right.

The others turned to look. "I see them," Jaller said. "Definitely coming our way." "Should we attack? They're giving me a bad feeling…" Nuparu said.

"They may not mean any harm," Hahli said. "They're too far away for their intentions to be known yet."

"We'll keep going the way we have been until we know for sure that they mean to have any business with us," Jaller said.

Not too long after, Kongu spoke up again, saying, "They're definitely getting comfy close out there…"

"There's no doubt now," Jaller said. "They're definitely following us. We can try to outrun them, but prepare for the worst."

"So you think they'll be violent?" Hewkii asked.

"I think they might be, is all," Jaller replied. "I just want us to be as prepared as possible if they catch up to us."

"Jaller, I don't think we _can_ outtrun them right now," Hahli said. "Look at our mounts. They look like they're about to collapse. They'll barely get us up the next hill, let alone run fast enough to escape whoever's after us." Jaller grimaced beneath his mask at this hard truth.

"Jaller, come on," Hewkii said. "We know how to handle ourselves in a fight. We've faced all sorts of new things in the past couple of years. This won't be anything harder. And besides, they may mean no harm at all."

Jaller nodded. "Okay. We'll walk the birds up this hill and rest on the other side. What happens next… Well, like you said, Hewkii, we can handle it."

Kongu peeked gently over the sand dune. "I'm getting real tired of all this grind sand…" he muttered. "Why can't this world have more high trees?" The sun had nearly set, and seeing it in its orange state made Kongu realize how tired he felt. _So strange how one can get so_ _weak tired from sitting down all day..._

Finally, his gaze fell on their pursuers. Now that thegroup was much closer, Kongu could see that there were about five men, all mounted.

He turned back to his team, slid down the dune into the shadow of their small valley, and shouted, "They're almost here! I quick counted about five of them out there."

"About time," Hewkii said, readying his warblade.

"Give them a few more seconds," Jaller said, drawing his power sword. He waited, hand raised, listening… "Now!" He rushed forward, up the dune. Together, the five Toa stood as the riders pulled up at the dune's base. All were dressed in loose rags, like the desert dwellers they had encountered before, and wore wide brimmed hats on their heads. They also carried objects like rope and what appeared to be swords. Overall, they looked dangerous and Jaller certainly didn't trust them.

"Ho, travellers!" their leader cried from the front of the group. This man bore an extra tool: a strange tube slung across his back. "What brings you out into the desert on this fine day?"

Jaller paused. This was not the greeting he had been expecting… "We travel south west, headed for the Fire Nation," he said, finding no reason to lie to these men. He shoved the tip of his sword into the ground, and the other Toa lowered their weapons as well.

"Ah! We wondered if that were the case when we spotted you," the man said, smiling. "That was why we started following you. My companions and I thought that you all might make for some… interesting travelling companions."

"I see…" Jaller said, thinking hard about what these men's true intentions could be. It was hard to just throw out the suspicious thoughts he'd been having for the last few hours at the drop of a mask. "I don't see why we shouldn't travel together," he said, intentionally giving them what they wanted. This earned him some surprised glances from his fellow Toa. "Our animals are resting right now, but should be ready for travel within the hour."

"Excellent! My men and I have so many questions for you. We can hardly wait to begin our journey together."

"Why wait? I'll gladly answer any questions you have. Though I do have one of my own, if I may."

"Of course, of course," the man replied. "Ask away, friend."

"What is this tube you wear on your back?" the Toa of fire asked, pointing toward the object in question.

"Oh, this?" the man said, grabbing it. "This is my preferred weapon. It is called a blowgun, and works just like it sounds: you place the dart in the tube, put your mouth to the muzzle, and blow!" The man did as he had said, and with a _whoosh_ ofair, a small projectile flew out the other end of the tube. It struck the sand below Jaller's feet, missing him by inches.

Jaller knelt and picked up the dart. "Fascinating…" he said, examining the projectile. It was only a few inches long, fairly light and had a small insignia on the side. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to make out exactly what it was, though it seemed somewhat familiar. "Nuparu," he said, turning to the Toa of earth, "could you take a look?" He handed the dart to his teammate, giving him a look that he hoped would let him know that something was suspicious here. "So, you said you had questions for us?" Jaller said, turning back to the men.

"Oh yes!" he said. "Firstly, we were wondering about that armor you're all wearing. Is it removable at all, or is it permanently grafted to your bodies, as it appears to be?"

"So far as I know, it can't be removed," Jaller replied.

"However," Kongu cut in, "I have known other Toa to have their limbs fall off and reattach on occasion."

The men looked shocked at this information, but nodded. "So that is what you are called, then? Toa…?"

"Yes," Jaller said. "It is a title that means " He was interrupted by Nuparu grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. He waved a paper in front of Jaller's mask frantically.

"I got this off of the dart," Nuparu whispered. "Look what's on it!"

"I can't see it when you're shaking it, Nuparu!" Jaller grabbed his friend's wrist, then took the paper from his hand. "Oh…"

"Yep. The Fire Nation symbol."

Jaller turned slowly back to the men. "So, where exactly are you all headed?" Despite his attempts, he knew he hadn't kept the fact that he knew who these men were out of his voice.

The leader donned a crooked smile, clearly knowing now that their cover was blown. "My humble companions and I seek bounties across the world. There's quite a big one out right now for you all. 500 gold pieces… per 'Toa'." He thrust his arms forward, tossing up a wave of sand into the Toa's faces.

Kongu used his own elemental powers, using a rush of wind to push all the sand in the air around upward and out, clearing their vision. Using that sense, they could see the five hunters bearing down on them, blades drawn. Jaller swung his sword viciously, tossing out a wide wave of flame, as well as catching the lead rider's mount's legs, sending it tumbling into the ground. The other birds were all spooked by the fire and reared up, nearly tossing off their riders. "Away!" Jaller cried. The other knew what to do: they slid down their side of the dune, raised their own birds, mounted, and started off as quickly as possible.

Their pursuers were far from finished. Four were still chasing the Toa. Two had retrieved some rope from their packs. Jaller started when he noticed the heavy balls attached at the ends of each rope. "Bolas!" he shouted as they rode. "Don't let those hit you!"

"Oh, okay," Kongu replied. "I was originally thought planning on letting them hard hit me with whatever they wanted. Thanks for the heads up, Jaller!"

"Can't you do something useful for once, Kongu, instead of making jokes?" Hewkii said. "Useful? Let me show you how useful ever useful I a skilled Toa of air can be!" He turned on his mount so that faced backward, toward their pursuers. As the first tossed his bolas, Kongu created another wind blast, powerful enough to slow the spinning object enough that it fell far too short. Next, he created small rivulets of air at the feet of one of the birds, causing the sand around it to shift in odd ways. The bird quickly lost its footing, tumbling down into the sand. "Two down!" he shouted. "Still don't think I'm useful?"

"You're getting there," Hewkii said. "Keep it up!"

Kongu smiled at the challenge of stopping this whole pursuit on his own. One of the riders began to speed up, surging toward Kongu. At the same time, the other tossed his bolas. Realizing he had a few seconds before the first would catch him, Kongu created a strong current of air that gently snatched the bolas out of the air, sending it into a curve, and back around into the second rider, tangling around his body and completely throwing off his balance. This, in turn, threw him off his mount.

The final remaining rider seemed to realize that they had been soundly beaten by these strange beings. He started to slow down and turn away. "Oh no," Kongu said defiantly, "I'm not done with you yet!" Using the power of his mask of summoning, he directed its call to the fallen ostrich horses. The four other birds quickly caught up the rider. Kongu mentally willed them to attack the hunter. They closed in, beaks snapping and claws kicking at the rider. He tried to shoo them away with blade and sand, but the stress was too great for him to have any true control of the situation. Like his fellows, he eventually ended up on the ground. Humiliated, Kongu liked to think.

"Excellent work, Kongu," Jaller said. "You've reminded everyone why we keep you on the team."

"Hey!" Kongu retorted. "I do that every time I tell a joke. Don't deny that I am the most wit funny Toa you've ever met."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jaller replied.

"There it is!" Nuparu said, pointing towards a large ridge of stone poking above the next hill. "The Serpent's Pass! We can crossover that to keep heading south west. It's the quickest way."

"So we _are_ going the right direction," Hewkii said. "Of course we are! I told you I wouldn't get us lost…" "You got lucky."

"That may be, but I still got the job done." Hewkii sighed deeply.

Kongu sped up and crested the hill first. "Uh, team? I don't think I'll be able to handle this one by myself…"

"What's wro " Jaller's words died in his throat as he saw the massive wall of militant vehicles and soldiers guarding the entrance the pass. Tanks lined the land around the start of it, a squad of troops guarded it, and several war boats filled the water around it.

"Yep," Nuparu said. "This one is definitely going to take all of us..."


	8. Fall

"You're sure this is the only way, Nuparu?" Jaller asked, surveying the small army assembled at the entrance to the Serpent's Pass.

"Quit positive, unfortunately," the Toa of Earth responded. "That is, unless you want a few days of extra walking tacked on to our journey."

"That might not be such a bad idea," Hahli said. "It would be safer. We could guarantee our safety-"

"And we might be too late," Jaller interrupted. "Things are happening quickly here; I'm sure of it. We have to get the Fire Nation as quickly as possible. If this is the only way to get there with any speed, we take it. We'll just have to fight our way through."

"And take down all of them?" Hewkii said, voice heavy with skepticism. "Easier said than done."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Jaller asked, growing irritated but trying not to show it.

"I do, actually," Kongu said.

"Here we go..." Hewkii muttered.

"Hey! This is as good an action-plan as any, kolhii-head. I say that Nuparu and Hewkii make a large-big tunnel sticking out of the ground, pointing towards our destination. We quick-seal it off, then Jaller and I use our powers to create immense pressure within the tunnel. Eventually, we should be able launch ourselves far out over the Pass."

"And the landing?" Jaller asked.

"I'm sure I can whip up a quick air soft-cushion for us," Kongu said, looking confident.

"I see..." Nuparu said. "I think that could actually work, Jaller. I've seen the same tactic used with several mining tools. This could get us well over that army, maybe even clear to the other side."

Jaller shook his head, feeling confused. He knew they were strong enough to fight there way through the force guarding the Pass, but they would have to fight smart. One mistake could have disastrous consequences. He wasn't willing to let another teammate be lost. Kongu's plan seemed far-fetched, but if Nuparu thought it was a good idea... well, the Toa of Earth's opinion certainly carried some weight in situations like this. But still, something could go wrong. His gut told him mistakes were more likely to occur if they chose Kongu's plan.

"I'm... not sure I like it," he said, knowing he spoke against the wishes of his teammates. "I know we can fight our way through. We're all strong enough. If we're careful, we can clear a way to the other side without any casualties..."

"Jaller," Hahli said, kneeling beside him and laying a hand on his shoulder. "I believe you're right, but I think Kongu's plan is the better option. If we can avoid a fight-even a chance to avoid one-we should try to." The other Toa all nodded in agreement.

Jaller nodded as well. She was right, of course. Toa were meant to be heroes, peacekeepers. It was not in their nature to seek fights where violence could be avoided. "Very well," he said, gut twisting a bit. "We'll go with Kongu's idea."

"Yes!" the Toa of air exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "Finally getting some recognition for my brilliant ideas!"

* * *

Half an hour later, the cone was completed and the Toa were all settled on the cap, preparing for launch. "All right, you two," Nuparu said, looking to Jaller and Kongu. "Direct your power inside the tube. Create as much pressure as you can in there. If everything goes right-which it should, if my examinations were accurate-we should launch straight out of here towards the Pass. If we need, you could also use gusts or flame jets to direct our course once we're airborne. Ready?" They nodded, then placed their palms on the slanted rock pad, concentrating.

Several moments passed with no forceful explosions. "You two are working, right?" Hewkii asked with a grin.

"Less smart-talk, more hard-pushing..." Kongu muttered.

"Almost there," Jaller said. "I can feel it..."

"Maybe we should have built seats into this platform," Hewkii mused. "Would've been a little more comfortable."

"Now!" Jaller said, lifting his hands. A couple of seconds later, the platform rocketed through the air, a loud boom sounding behind them. As they flew, Jaller peeked over the edge of the flying platform, noting the now-completely exploded tube. He also noticed the cracks beginning to form on the platform. "Ah, Hewkii?" he said, trying to shout over the sound of rushing wind. "You may want to see this!"

"What?" Hewkii said, moving closer, but it was too late. The cracks widened and spread quicker than Jaller would have ever expected, and soon the platform was a just few chunks of stone falling from the sky, leaving the Toa without a vehicle.

"We're going into freefall!" Nuparu shouted. "We have no propulsion!"

"Where will we land, then?" Hewkii asked. Nuparu just pointed down, straight at the ground, and at the army that waited there.

"Looks like you got your wish, fire-spitter!" Kongu said. Jaller frowned, wishing it wasn't so.

"Well then, let's get ready!" Jaller said, drawing his power blade. "Kongu, are you ready to make that cushion you talked about?"

"Always!" Kongu replied, falling into deep concentration once again, focusing his power toward the spot he expected they would land.

"Remember, let's try to avoid the fight. Once we're on our feet, we run for the Pass. Knock down anything that gets in your way. Flight over fight!" The other Toa nodded. Jaller looked at each one in turn. He was sorry that Kongu's plan had failed, but part of him still wished they'd gone along with his own plan in the first place. It could have saved them so much time and energy. Yet, this was team. These were his friends, whom he respected, trusted, and loved. He'd trusted them enough to follow their plan. It was more than some leaders could have done, and he would never be sorry for that. Now, he would fight as hard as he could to make sure that they would all still be around for him to trust in the future.

He looked down toward the ground again, and his heartlight nearly went out when he saw the massive fireball hurtling toward them. "Turn it away!" he shouted. All five Toa directed their energies toward, trying to move it out of their line of flight.

"It's moving too fast!" Nuparu said. "It won't budge!"

"I'll try to cushion the blow!" Kongu said.

"Right," Jaller said. "Brace for impact, everyone!" He waited, painfully unable to do anything about the impending impact.

"Oh, Mata Nu-!" Hahli said. A flash of pain, then nothing.

* * *

Jaller's green eyes opened. He immediately closed them again, finding the sun to be rather offensive and painful. His armored body hurt everywhere. He groaned and tried to sit up.

"That's them, lieutenant!" a voice said. "They're the... creatures who wrecked my business!" Jaller glanced in the direction of the voice. It seemed familiar, but his mind was still felt clouded...

"Fascinating," a second voice replied. "The information you've provided has certainly been useful, Cranin."

Cranin...?

Jaller more closely examined the first man, trying to lie still in the sand. It was indeed the old slave master that had captured the Toa Mahri when they had first arrived in this new world. What was he doing here...?

Jaller's gaze shifted to Cranin's companion, a man dressed in a loose black cloak. He bore a strange tube slung over his back. It looked similar to the one that hunter had had earlier, but seemed to have some sort of machinery attached to the rear end. His cloak was tied with a belt that seemed to hold darts that surely served as ammunition for the tube, as well as a small sheathed sword. The surrounding soldiers were similarly clothed and armed. He knelt beside the prone form of Hahli. He poked at her, inspecting her closely. "These things definitely aren't human. I bet Mistress Zhora would be very interested in them," he said as he stood.

"She's welcome to them, Lietenant Xeng, as long as she pays the right price..." Cranin said slyly.

Xeng turned slowly. "Price, Cranin?"

"Of course. These beings are rightfully mine. They escaped my grasp, but now we have them back. I believe that you should pay me for them."

"I see," Xeng said. Jaller noticed that Kongu and Hewkii had begun to stir on the ground. Xeng drew his tube and pointed it at each in turn, squeezing a small trigger respectively. Small projectiles flew from the tube's opening, implanting themselves in the exposed flesh of the two Toa. They gave grunts of pain, but stayed on the ground. "I don't know that Mistress Zhora would agree with your assessment of the situation, Cranin. Such high ranking members of the Fire Nation military can't be expected to barter with petty criminals." Xeng opened a chamber in his tube and began refilling it with darts.

"Criminals?" Cranin said perturbedly. "I consider myself an honorable businessman, and-"

His words were cut short as Xeng fired several darts into his chest. Cranin's eyes widened, then he fell to the sand, unconscious. Xeng looked down at the fallen slave-master. "No one else does," he said dryly.

Jaller knew that now was his best chance to strike. He rose quickly from the ground, sending out a large blast of flame in a circle around him, being sure to keep it from hitting the ground where his friends lay. Xeng and his soldiers fell backwards, some with clothes aflame. "It can firebend!?" a voice exclaimed.

"Fire!" Xeng shouted.

"Yes, sir, some of us are on fire," replied a soldier near Xeng, who appeared to be more decorated than others. "I shall command the men to stop, drop, and-"

"No, you idiot," Xeng said, reloading his tube-gun again. "FIRE!" He launched several darts toward Jaller, and the troops who weren't on fire drew their own weapons. A wall flame warped the incoming projectiles so severely that the ones that actually hit Jaller were useless by the time they got to him.

"A little help, guys?" he said to his companions.

"Right, sure," Hewkii said.

"How can we be expected to fight battles just after waking up!?" Kongu said.

Hewkii thrust an arm out. Nothing happened. "Huh," he said looking confused as Jaller continued to burn away darts sent their way. "That should have sent up a thick wall of stone all around us." He tried again, concentrating hard, but there was still no effect.

"While you get your rocks together, Hewkii, I'll give it a go," Kongu said. He spun dramatically, hands outstretched. When nothing occured, he said, "Well, it looks like I'm out of this one too. Our elemental powers aren't working!"

"Impossible," Hewkii said, moving to wake Nuparu and Hahli as he spoke. "We're probably still just a little off after being hit by that giant flying rock."

Nuparu sat up. "Did you say your elemental powers aren't working?" he said, ducking to avoid a dart that nearly struck his head.

"Yep," Kongu said. "We're practically useless."

"Kane-ra droppings," Hewkii said. "We still have these." He drew his warblade and cordak blaster. "I didn't think I'd ever have a good excuse to use this thing again," he said, eyeing the blaster.

"Good plan!" Kongu said, drawing his own dual blasters.

"Powers not working..." Nuparu mused, still sitting in the sand. "Perhaps there's a connection to that stone prison we encountered the other day."

"We'll figure it out later," Jaller said. "For now, let's focus on surviving!" All five Toa stood now, battle ready. They dodged, spun, and deflected darts that were shot their way. They struck at any soldiers who ventured to close, delivering swift cuts with their blades. "Kongu, Hewkii, we need to start clearing a path toward the Pass. Use your blasters and make a hole in the crowd." They complied quickly, aiming their blasters and firing off several rounds. The slugs impacted the sand, creating huge explosions and sending soldiers flying. "Go!" Jaller commanded. As one, the Toa started running for the Pass. Nuparu used his shield to cover their backs as the rest fought their way forward.

Suddenly, Xeng was nearby, short-sword in hand. He struck swiftly from the side at Hewkii, delivering a deep cut to his left arm. The Toa of stone tried to strike back, but his arm was now nearly useless. He growled angrily. "Back _off_!" he cried, then used his mask as never before, applying a heavy gravitational force to all surrounding soldiers. They fell to the ground, unable to hold themselves up under the unnatural weight of their own bodies.

"The masks!" Xeng cried from the ground. "Their power comes from the masks!" They were out of his reach now, making a mad dash for the Pass, stepping on several soldiers as they went.

Hewkii released the power of his Kanohi, unable to focus hard enough to keep the soldiers down and run as fast as he needed to. The soldiers rose, unsteady.

Some, however, moved quicker than others. One soldier stood and tackled Kongu. Before any of the Toa could react, the soldier had ripped Kongu's mask from his face. He cried out as the strength and power that came with being a Toa seemed to leave his body. "Brothers, sister!" he cried, looking incredibly pitiful now. "Help!"

"We're coming, Kongu!" Hahli said, swatting away troops who stood in her way with claw and wave.

"We'll hold here," Jaller said. "You try to help Kongu."

Hahli nodded, and began fighting through the crowd. Then Nuparu was with her, knocking away offenders with shield and blade like a landslide. With a roar, he slammed his blade into the ground, sending a great tremor ahead. Many soldiers lost their balance, making the fight that much easier.

When they reached the fallen Toa of air, the man who had taken his mask was long gone. Hahli knelt down and helped him stand, Nuparu still fighting off soldiers, and the whole process began again reverse.

When they had nearly reached their companions once more, a stray dart struck Nuparu in the back. He cried out in pain and shock as he felt the power of earth flee from his body. He stumbled, and that was all the enemy needed. Soldiers pounced on him, hands grabbing at his mask. Hahli noticed the commotion, and called out to her brothers, "Nuparu is in trouble!"

"No!" Nuparu cried, voice nearly muffled by all the bodies surrounding him. "Go on!"

"We can't just leave you!" Hahli said as the others arrived near her.

"You need to escape! Come back for me... Agh!" Nuparu shouted as his mask was removed. His strength gave out and he fell beneath the weight of the bodies surrounding him.

Hewkii grabbed Hahli's arm. "He's right, Hahli," he said. "We have to keep going. If we don't get out of here soon, we'll all end up like him. We're no use to him dead or weak. If we escape, we can come back for him."

Jaller lifted Kongu by his other arm. "I agree," he said. "I hate it, but it's the best course of action. We must leave."

Hahli gave a hesitant nod, then turned toward the Pass. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"Get us out of here, Hewkii," Jaller said simply.

"Yeah," Hewkii replied, raising his cordak blaster with his good arm.

"No," Hahli said, releasing Kongu. "Allow me." She began to draw water from the air around her, forming a giant sphere in the air above her. It swirled and bubbled, practically oozing with raw power.

"Stop her!" Xeng cried from somewhere within the army. Soldiers stepped forward, some armed with swords, but Hahli kept concentrating on her work. Jaller left Kongu on the ground next to her, then moved to stand Hewkii. The two did their best to fight all the soldiers off, but they couldn't stop them all. One lucky solider burst through them, blade raised to strike the Toa of water. Jaller and Hewkii were too far away to stop him in time.

Kongu, however, was not. Using his last bit of strength, he stood quickly behind Hahli, back to the attacking soldier. He took the full cut of the sword across his back. He fell, groaning. Jaller quickly appeared, cutting down the soldier.

Hahli turned to see what was wrong. She saw Kongu splayed on the ground behind her. "Kongu!" she cried, aghast. A sorrow she hadn't felt since Matoro sacrificed himself rose within her. This time, though, she knew she could still save them. They weren't too far gone. The realization brought rage. With a primal yell, she released her giant water-sphere, sending a massive deluge forward and around her. Jaller and Hewkii barely stood standing, Hewkii using his mask to increase their weight and keep them anchored. All else was swept away in the torrent.

Hahli looked around, surveying her work. There no soldiers anywhere near them. They were all several hundred feet away, most of them unconscious. She looked down to check on Kongu, only to find that he had disappeared. She looked back out into the sea of fallen soldiers, new realization dawning on her. "No!" she cried, sorrow returning. "We have to go back for them."

"No," Jaller said forcefully. "We can't risking losing any more of us. We press on for now. We _will_ find a way to get them back."

"And if they don't survive that long?" Hahli asked, angry.

"I'm sorry, Hahli. Look," Jaller said, pointing out at the soldiers. "They're already recovering. We can't face them, not like this. They were far more powerful than we expected. We were weak because of our ignorance this time, but we won't be next time."

Stubbornly, Hahli nodded. Together, the three of them ran for the Pass.


	9. Sorrow

_If only I'd been... stronger._

Hahli sat on the rough ground, her back against a cold, sheer rock face. She stared out at the blue sea, darkened by night, but gently lit here and there by the stars and moon. The vast body of water should have felt familiar, a friendly presence in a strange world.

She only felt anger. At the army who'd gotten in their way then captured her brothers. At herself, for not doing more to save them.

She thought back to that moment: looking on down where Kongu's wounded form had been. He'd disappeared into the army of specialized Fire Nation troops, lost to her.

 _This sea was not too far away_ , she thought. _I could have reached a little further, drawn more strength, and…_

And what? Put the full force of a body of water that large behind a massive push? Her control would not have been so fine as she would have liked. She pushed away Kongu with what she'd done. With more power, how would she keep from pushing them all away?

And yet... there had to have been a way to save her brothers. There was always a way.

She looked to her left and saw Hewkii working to clear out a small cave in which they would spend the night. Jaller was gone. Going to do some reconnaissance on the army, he'd said. Try to figure out where they're going. His plan was to follow the army at a distance, then strike when the time was right to free Kongu and Nuparu.

While Jaller and Hewkii seemed plenty confident in the plan, Hahli had her doubts. What if that man leading the army—called Xeng, if she'd heard correctly—decided not to take his prisoners alive?

Hahli's light green eyes turned to the darkened sea once more. _Such power..._ She'd felt it before. When she and the others had been in Mahri Nui, the underwater village they were named for, she'd felt the weight of the ocean around her. The _raw power_ it offered her.

 _I could sweep them all away_ , she thought. _Strike while they're asleep, avoiding the spot where Kongu and Nuparu are. Or perhaps I could strike more silently, place bubbles around their heads and—_

No. Not like that. All these thoughts... they were wrong. Toa did not kill. Toa were protectors. You couldn't kill _and_ protect…

Could you?

Hahli drew her knees up and clutched her mask in her hands, groaning. She thought she should be feeling more sorrow, more sadness at the loss of her brothers. But every time she thought of the situation, she felt only rage. Rage and a hate that demanded release.

A part of her basked in the dark rays of those emotions. It hurt less to hate than to be sad.

Hahli sobbed gently under the stars.

* * *

Jaller crouched behind behind a small crop of rock, watching the army in the distance. His legs ached from the earlier battle and from being cramped beneath him. His left one was starting to feel fuzzy.

He came to the conclusion that he would come to no conclusions tonight. For now, he could only assume that the army would be moving in the morning. He would just have to wait it out and get some sleep.

If he could tame the wild thoughts rampaging in his mind.

 _How would things have turned out if we'd gone with my plan first?_ he wondered. They would have had the element of surprise, felt more prepared, and wouldn't have had those lost those precious moments at the beginning of the battle. _If only they had listened…_

And why hadn't they? He was the team leader. Why shouldn't he be able to exert more control over them? If he had, they may never gotten into this mess. All five of them could be here now. Instead, he'd allowed the others to take the lead. He went along with their plan, despite his feelings that it was all wrong. How naive he had been…

As he began walking back towards where he and the others would camp for the night, he thought back to their time in Mahri Nui, when Matoro had donned the Kanohi Ignika and sacrificed his life to revive Mata Nui.

_Look at all the good it did. Mata Nui awakens, saves the world, then goes right back to sleep. Talk about ungrateful. His citizens worked hard for centuries to ensure his survival and awakening and what does he do? Takes another long nap. We can't do that. Toa don't get to rest. I guess the more power you have, the less you have to do._

Jaller chided himself for such thoughts. He was grateful for the things Mata Nui had done in his final days. He knew he shouldn't be resentful towards the Great Spirit, but it was hard not to be bitter over him leaving them so quickly.

_That was when I made that promise. I would never allow someone I loved to be lost, Not after losing Matoro. How far I have fallen from keeping that promise…_

Could he risk failing again? He'd always wanted to listen to his teammates, but now he wasn't so sure. He had chosen to trust them, and now two of them were captured, maybe dead, all because they'd listened to Kongu instead of Jaller.

 _I could have saved them._ Arrogant, perhaps, but true.

He turned to look out over the dark sea. Somewhere out there lay the Fire Nation, the place he wanted to go. It was the home of the evil in this world, and he planned to put a stop to it. That was what heroes did. He was a bringer of justice, a deliverer of peace. Peace through superior power.

 _Is this truly my destiny? To save this land?_ If he was honest with himself, he would admit that when Makuta had been defeated, he'd hoped to never have to do any world-saving again. Now this happened to him.

He couldn't just stop now, though. Regardless of whether he wanted to be here or not, he was determined to defend this world.

It was his duty.

* * *

Hewkii brushed his hand along the wall of the cave he had created in the rock face. Smooth, just as intended. The artificial space was roomy enough for him, Jaller, and Hahli to each lay down comfortably.

How odd it had been, not being able to use his powers. Hewkii had only been a Toa for a matter of months, but he already felt that his elemental abilities were a part of who he was. To be stripped of them, even for just a few hours, was disturbing to say the least.

 _Must have been those darts,_ he thought. The small projectiles had seemed to sap his strength for a moment when they had impacted his body. Of course, it had been his control over stone that was really disappearing. By now, he had regained that control, the effects of the dart having long worn off. The knowledge that there was still something out there that could it from him again was haunting.

Jaller arrived and stepped into the cave. "Nice work with this," he said.

"Thanks," Hewkii said. "Just glad I'm still able to do it."

Jaller nodded knowingly. "How's the arm?"

"Getting better, but I won't be playing kohlii with it any time soon."

The Toa of fire chuckled. "Sometimes I forget that you still play."

"Who would I be without kolhii?"

"Probably just some grumpy carver who refuses to talk to anyone. Like Hafu."

"Mata Nui... Please kill me if I ever become like Hafu." They shared a short-lived laugh. "Pretty chilly in here. Do you mind...?"

"Not at all." The cave began to heat up, Jaller having focused his power into the air inside.

Hahli stumbled in, eyes downcast, and sat down. "Cozy," she said, face showing a sorrow her words did not match.

No one spoke for a while. They simply sat, thinking and listening to the wind and waves outside.

"All right," Hewkii said. "What's the plan?"

Jaller sighed. They had to talk about it eventually. "We check the army in the morning, see where they're headed, and follow at a distance."

"That's it?" Hahli said, some energy seeming to come to her.

"Yes, that is the extent of my plan. It seems the safest option."

"And if they don't take prisoners? Or if, by the time we're ready to strike, they're in a fortified position?"

"We'll deal with it."

"Like we dealt with getting to the Pass?"

"That was a special situation,and it could have been avoided! We weren't ready for what happened."

Hewkii sighed. This was going nowhere quickly. "Brother, sister!" he interrupted. "It's obvious that we're all going through a hard time. I'm sure we all wish we were at home on Spherus Magna, but we aren't. Squabbling like petty Rahi will get us nowhere."

"You agree with him!?" Hahli said.

"I never said—"

"I can't believe you two! Our brothers' lives are in danger, and you just want to wait things out!"

"Hahli," Hewkii said, hands forward in what he hoped was a calming gesture. "Jaller's doing the best he knows how. Maybe he's right, and maybe you're right. There's really no way to know for sure. Jaller just wants to do what seems rational."

Hahli crossed her arms. "Maybe that's not good enough." She stood up and left the cave.

"Should we go after her?" Hewkii asked.

"No," Jaller said. "She just needs time to think."

"Hahli doesn't _think_ like you do. You're all logic; she tends to act on her emotions"

"She'll come around," Jaller insisted.

"We'll see." Hewkii lay down, resting his head on the stone ground. "You know, my mask makes this really uncomfortable."


	10. Search

"It is as I feared," Toa Helryx said as she watched a restrained Brutaka through the one-way glass of his cell.

"What?" Axonn said, clearly anxious for his friend. "You knew about this? What is it?"

"I didn't know for sure, but I heavily suspected after hearing what he's done recently. Brutaka's body has developed an unhealthy addiction to antidermis." She studied to powerful Order member. He would go long stretches of time without moving or saying anything, head simply laying on his chest. Then he would suddenly thrash around wildly, unable to rip free of his constraints. Only the strength of protosteel cuffs and chains kept him bound to the wall.

Axonn was silent for a moment. "What exactly does that entail?" he asked.

"If Brutaka is not able to consume antidermis, he goes through relapse, as you see now. His body will struggle. He feels that he absolutely needs the stuff. It is as important to him as food or water is to us all."

"But… there are no more Makuta, and we haven't seen any traces of antidermis since that pool we fell into."

"Which is exactly what makes this situation even more odd, at least for Brutaka. He will suffer… for a time. I believe the process will end within the week at the latest."

"And how does this affect his link, the powers he gained from the antidermis pool?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose there is a chance that the link will be completely severed, but we can't know for certain."

"And if he remembers that he can teleport while he's here?"

"Then we're in trouble. Hopefully he'll stay out of his right mind long enough that it won't be a problem. Now, we must get to why I brought you here in the first place. We need to know where the Toa Mahri went."

"And how will we do that?" Axonn asked. "The only being who knows appears to be a raving lunatic at the moment."

Helryx tapped her Great Mask of Psychometry.

"Ah."

Together, they stepped into the small, featureless cell. "Who's there!?" Brutaka cried, looking blearily at the pair. His body shuddered. "Have you come to kill me?"

"No," Helryx replied. "We're here to find out—"

"Karzahni take you!" Brutaka spat. "You deny me what I need, leave me locked up in this wretched cell, then refuse to kill me as well!" He threw his head against the wall, staring up. "Mata Nui, why have you forsaken me?! Free me from this pain…"

"Brutaka," Axonn said, stepping up to his old friend. "We want to help you, but… we can't." Despite his words, Axonn tried channeling some of his power into Brutaka, trying to ease his mental pain. For a moment, he thought he saw some lucidity return to his friend's eyes. Then the rage returned, and Brutaka pulled at his chains.

Helryx stepped up now, hand reaching for Brutaka's Kanohi. He moved as if to pull away from her, but there was nothing he could really do.

Helryx's armored fingers came into contact with the gold metal of the damaged Olmak. She closed her eyes, activated her Kanohi, and _saw_.

Visions flashed in her mind. She saw an entirely different planet, inhabited by strange, armorless beings. Some seemed able to manipulate the elements as well as a Toa. This land had once known peace, but was in a state of turmoil and war.

And the Toa Mahri were at the center of it all.

"Found them," she said. She opened her eyes, pulled away, and removed Brutaka's mask. He slumped against the wall, humiliated and powerless. Helryx and Axonn exited the cell. Axonn could have sworn he heard quiet sobs as he left.

"So?" Axonn said, trying to forget about Brutaka for the moment.

"They are on another world entirely," the aged Toa of water replied. "A place none of us can reach… not without this." She held up the Olmak, examining the crack in its surface. "Of course, we'll have to repair it first."

"So we just march into this place? We have no idea what it will be like there."

"I'd say I have _some_ idea. I caught a glimpse as I peeked into the mask's past. There was enough information on the destination there to let me know that it is relatively safe. Many beings live there, and the Toa survive as well."

"And when we get there? What then?"

"We'll figure it out. Really, there's no way from me to know exactly where they are now. I'm sure they won't be _that_ hard to find. In that world, _they_ are the strangers. People will talk." Helryx opened the door to the prison compound and stepped out into the sunlight. "Stay with me, Axonn. I need to gather the others, then we'll discuss our plan."

* * *

"You want us to do _what_?" Trinuma asked.

Helryx sighed. They sat in her chambers in Order headquarters. Trinuma was seated across from her, head nearly reaching the ceiling. Axonn sat to her left, and Toa Krakua to her right.

"It's not that different from what happened to us a few months ago, if you think about it," Krakua said. "Visiting a new planet, lots of new people to know, places to explore."

"I suppose, but there will no time for exploring," Helryx said. "I just need you to get in, find the Toa, and bring them back here."

"That's all?" Trinuma said. "Why not send, uh, what's his name… not-Botar? He's really good at bringing people places."

"He is indisposed," Helryx replied. "Besides, he's far too important to be sent on a mission this simple." Trinuma nearly stood up and left. "You three will be fine."

"Fine, whatever," Trinuma said. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you're ready."

* * *

Axonn took his axe down from the shelf in his room. It always felt good to have that familiar weight in his hands. He'd almost hoped he would be able to use it when they were at the Shrine, but to no avail. _Perhaps on this mission…_

He placed the axe in it's holster on his back and headed to the armory. No harm in seeing if there was anything worth bringing along in there. He stepped into the dull silver room, eyeing row upon row of various weaponry. Axonn spotted Krakua in the corner, sifting through tubs of tools and supplies. The Toa of sonics pulled out a lightstone and stuffed it in his bag.

"Why bring one of those?" Axonn asked, approaching the Toa.

"Never know when I'll be in a dark place," Krakua replied, not looking up from his rummaging. "I like being able to see where I'm going."

Axonn chuckled. "Fair enough. See anything in there you'd recommend for me?"

"Mmm… perhaps this?" Krakua rose, holding a small dagger.

Axonn took the weapon, laughing at how puny it looked in his massive palm. "Perhaps you are right, Krakua." He stowed the dagger away.

The Toa looked surprised, but didn't ask questions.

"You know," Axonn said, sitting down on a nearby bench. "I'm beginning to think I'll never be rid of those Toa Mahri. They've been a pain in my axe since the day they showed up on Voya Nui… Ah, but who am I kidding. They make life exciting."

"Mata Nui knows we could use some more of that," Krakua said, standing up. "We had some good times before Makuta was dead, didn't we? Fighting for the fate of our universe and all."

"Good times indeed. It's just too bad it all ended up getting destroyed anyway."

"Yes, but we saved another, much larger world in the process. And we all made it out alive, so that's a plus too." He slung his pack around to his back. "We better get going, or Trinuma will get upset."

"Young Toa, I don't think there's anything we can do about that," Axonn said with a chuckle.

"Looks good as new," Trinuma said, examining the newly repaired Kanohi Olmak in the dull light of Helryx' chambers. "We shall dimension-hop as no being has dimension-hopped before!"

"Just bring the Toa—and yourselves—back in one piece," Helryx said.

"Right," Trinuma said. He donned the Mask of Dimensional Gates, the massive thing nearly eclipsing his own Mask of Charisma. It glowed as he accessed its power, and a swirling violet vortex opened in the space before the assembled team, filling the room with the sound of rushing air. The tall Order member raised his kinetic blade. "To victory!" he shouted, annoyed sarcasm dripping from his voice as charged into the portal.

Krakua followed suit, drawing his own sword. "What he said!" he cried, and ran after Trinuma.

"You sure you're okay doing this, Axonn?" Helryx asked.

"I… yes," Axonn said. "The Toa Mahri are my friends. I feel it is only right for me to be there to rescue them. Assuming, of course, that they need rescuing."

"Doesn't really matter. They don't belong out there. We need them here."

"Of course. Now, I must follow my comrades. Who knows how long Trinuma's willing to leave the portal open for me…" Axonn saluted his leader, then entered the portal. Seconds later, it collapsed, and the sound of wind ceased.

"Great Beings help you all," Helryx whispered into the now empty room. "Bring them back safely…"

* * *

Far from Spherus Magna, in a world no Matoran or Toa had ever set eyes on before, three voices yelled at each other furiously.

"Where are we!?"

"I don't know!"

"You had the mask, you should know where this place is!"

"I don't know how to use it yet!"

"Hush, those things are staring at us."

"Bah, they're just short robots. What are they going to do?"

"That one's coming for us…"

"Use the mask again!"

"Trying!"

"I think he wants to… arrest us!"

"Ha! He doesn't even look menacing. Shiny white armor, with that little 'H' in the chest… pitiful!"

"I really think he's going to try to hurt us."

"So take him down!"

"No! That'll just make the rest of them angry."

"There's more!?"

"Several. And a ship in the air above us."

"If you could get that mask working right now, that would be great."

"Do you wanna try!?"

"Sure, give it to me."

"I was kidding!"

"Agh, he shot me!"

"You hurt?"

"No, it was just… ice."

"He has a gun that shoots ice?"

"Not much of it."

"That's… kinda ridiculous."

"Got it!"

And they disappeared.


	11. Captive

_2 days later_

Hewkii crashed into the sand. Hard. He sat up, shaking sand from his mask. "We," he began, getting unsteadily on hands and knee, "are _never_ doing that again."

Jaller landed a second later. "Agreed," the Toa of fire replied, facedown.

Hahli arrived a moment after, gently gliding down on a wave of water. "Oh come on," she said. "It wasn't that bad. Besides, we probably crossed that ocean in record time."

"But we must ask ourselves, Hahli," Hewkii said, standing. "Was it _worth it_?" Jaller slowly shook his head without lifting it from the sand.

"You just can't appreciate underwater travel," Hahli said, landing beside Hewkii. "For a Toa Mahri, you're still pretty anti-water."

"I'm a Toa of stone," he replied. "It's practically my job to be anti-water."

"Enough," Jaller said, finally rising. "We need to get going. I really don't want to be spotted on this beach."

"Agreed," Hewkii said. "We must get as far away from the ocean as possible!"

"That's not what I—" Jaller started, but it was too late. Hewkii took off at a run inland. The others followed, though not nearly as quickly.

Hahli was feeling a bit drained from using her powers to propel them through the ocean at high speeds. She may not have made it if she hadn't felt driven by the rage that still churned within her at the loss of Kongu and Nuparu. She couldn't let herself dwell on it too much, though. She worried that it would distract her from the actual task of rescuing her brothers… or worse.

"This place…" Hahli said, surveying the area. "Plains, bright grass. It really reminds me of Mata Nui."

"Yeah," Jaller agreed. "Yet, this is supposed to be the place where evil resides in this world. Doesn't really feel like it here."

"As amazing as the scenery is," Hewkii said, "don't forget what we're doing: looking for our brothers." He raised a hand to his mask, blocking the sunlight while he scanned the horizon, looking for a good place to bunker down if necessary. "I think I see… a forest."

"Really?" Jaller said, coming to look with the Toa of stone. "Not really something I'd expect to find here."

"Just because the forest in _your_ fire-region was burnt to a crisp doesn't mean that's the way everyone else's is."

Together, the trio headed toward the forest. After walking among the tall, full trees for only a few minutes, Jaller held up a hand. "Quiet," he said, ducking down. "Someone's up ahead." The Toa dropped low, crouching behind bushes and tree roots. Jaller parted the branches of his bush to spy beyond.

"For what it's worth, I think staying here overnight was a bad idea," said a voice from afar. It sounded to Jaller like a young male of this world's species. And it was moving towards him. "The ground is way too hard, and I think some bugs tried to crawl into my clothes."

"For all your toughness, Sokka, you sure do complain a lot," said another voice. This one sounded younger than the first.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that sleeping would've been way easier at our normal spot. Sleeping in creepy forests is bad enough without going through… all that, last night." For a while, the voices were silent. Jaller could hear their footsteps now. He counted not just two, but _three_ sets of feet walking out there. Every once in awhile, he was able to catch a glimpse of them through the bushes and trees: three young beings, all dressed in black and red clothing. They looked tired, as if they had only woken up minutes ago. He thought he saw one yawn and scratch at his backside.

"These ones will do no harm to us," he said quietly, turning to his comrades. "Suggestions?"

"What is there to suggest?" Hewkii whispered. "I want nothing to do with them."

Hahli glared at Hewkii for a moment, then said, "If they seem friendly, it may not hurt to ask them for information about the area. It could speed up our search significantly."  
"True," Jaller said, "but we're also trying to keep a low profile right now. If that army ever learns that we're here, Kongu and Nuparu are as good as gone."

"Do you hear something?" one of the voices said. This must have been the third being; it's voice was softer, more feminine. Both groups were silent, listening and waiting.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Katara," said the first voice. "We're probably all just still on edge." They continued walking, with no response from the one named 'Katara'.

"So," said the second voice, "any word from the others?"

"Only from Dad," said the first. "He sent a hawk that said he was able to get another three ships for the invasion. Besides that bit of good news, sounds like everything else is going according to plan."

"Invasion?" Jaller whispered to his comrades. "What could they be invading?"

"Perhaps they are enemies of the Fire Nation as well," Hahli said. "I'm feeling very tempted to talk to them now…"

"As am I," Jaller concurred. "It's still a risk though."

"I really think we can trust these ones," Hahli said. "Beside, they're young and small. What trouble could they be?"

 _We were young and small as well, once,_ Jaller thought. _Look at us now._ "Right," he said. He took a deep breath. "Let's do it." He stood up from his bush and started walking toward the three travellers. He came out just in time to see them round a bend in the trail around a particularly thick group of trees and lost sight of them. "Hey!" he shouted. "Wait up!" A head poked back around the bend, a concerned brow arched prominently. It only took half a second for that curious look to turn into a cry of alarm, and the head disappeared.

"What is it?" the female voice said.

"Run!" said the first. "There's… things! Back there!" Jaller heard them break into a run, so he picked up his own pace. He rounded the bend and easily caught up to them, his legs being much longer and stronger than theirs.

"I just want to talk!" he said, running only a few feet behind the trio. They looked back and up at him. His stature dwarfed theirs. _I must look quite intimidating to these three…_ he mused. The one Jaller had seen earlier screamed again and kept running, but the other two stopped and began moving their arms in quick motions. Bursts of water and air came seemingly from nowhere and whipped at his legs. Balance lost, he fell the ground. "Not again…" he muttered.

"Who are you?" said the female. "Why are you chasing us?" Jaller was startled at the firm strength and resolve in her voice. _Perhaps they are not as weak as we assumed._ Before he could answer, the pair was swept back by a wave of water sent from behind Jaller. He looked back to find Hahli running up behind him, with Hewkii not far behind.

The Toa of fire rolled back and sprung up to his feet, power blade drawn. He and the other Toa stood ready, but still he said, "We don't mean to harm you! We just want to ask you some questions about this place. We're strangers to this land, and we're looking for some friends."

The one who had run away earlier—they'd called him Sokka—now stepped up, a sword of his own held firm in his hands. "Why should we deal with you?" he said. "For all we know, you're Fire Nation warriors, here to trap us!"

"Sokka," said the younger being. "They don't really look like Fire Nation warriors. One of them is blue, and the other is yellow." Hewkii's eyes slowly closed in annoyance. "Maybe we should hear them out."

"But Aang, they don't even look… y'know, human! Maybe they're some sort of sick, genetic experiment to make super fighters." Sokka still stood with his sword ready, eyeing the Toa warily.

Jaller looked to Hahli on his left, then to Hewkii on his right. He gave them a subtle nod and a shake of his blade. Together, they rushed forward, weapons drawn. Hewkii used his mask to increase gravity on the young trio and throw off their balance, while Hahli and Jaller used their elements in tandem to create a thick cloud of steam, obscuring vision. Confusion took hold of the young beings, and flashes of air and water punctuated the fog. When the steam cleared, each Toa stood with their blade at the throat of a different being. Jaller looked down at Sokka, holding his blade gingerly barely an inch away from the boy's throat. "If we wanted you dead, we could have done it already, if not ten minutes ago."

He held up a hand to signal to his team mates that this show of force was over. Each released their captive and stowed their weapons. They moved back in front of the young trio. "So," Jaller said, "where's a good place for a chat?"

* * *

"Nuparu?"

Nuparu woke up to the voice. He ignored it and adjusted himself on the rough bed, trying to get comfortable again.

"You awake, soil-brain?" Kongu asked from the bed mounted above Nuparu's.

Nuparu sighed. "Am now."

"Good. I've been think-wondering: what are these beings going to do to us? Are they going to dissect us and experiment on us? I bet that's what you would do if you had one of them captured."

"I don't know what they'll do." Nuparu looked up at Kongu. "And I would _not_ dissect them."

"Fine, whatever. But really, it's been hard-stressing me out."  
"So stop thinking about it and sleep."

"Are you laugh-kidding? A Le-Matoran—er, Toa of Air—never stops quick-thinking!"

"Fooled me," Nuparu muttered.

"What was that? Nevermind. Anyway, you and I should bust outta here."

"We tried that."

"Yes, and it poor-failed. We are in a cell that cuts off our elemental powers, we don't have our masks. Yes, the odds are very much against us. But I faith-believe that we can—!"

A hard _clang_ sounded on the cell door. A guard, fully dressed and sword drawn, stood outside. "Up and at 'em, freaks," the soldier said before moving away.

"See!?" Kongu said as Nuparu rose. "Now is our chance!"

"You're insane…"

"Hey, at least I'm full of bright-optimism. Can you say the same, Toa of dirt?" Kongu asked, smug look on his face.

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not," Nuparu said.

"And that is exactly how I like it."

The door to the cage opened and another soldier stepped in, flanked by two others. The one in the lead wore a strange, metal mask over his face. He pulled a syringe from his coat pocket. "Hold still," he said, his guards taking up protective stances around the Toa. He stuck the syringe into each Toa's right in arm in turn, plunging a green liquid into their systems. "So strange…" the man muttered. "You appear so different from us, yet your physiology is similar enough for the serum to take effect. Mistress Zhora will have a field day with you two."

Nuparu assumed that the serum they had just been administered was the same stuff that had taken their elemental powers before, during the battle before the Serpent's Pass. He felt the same momentary drop in strength that he'd felt then, but this time he was ready for it. From what he could gather, the serum could take away elemental control for about four hours. Sitting inside a room made of that strange, green-speckled stone that their cell had been constructed of, however, blocked the powers indefinitely.

All this, he knew… But who was this "Zhora" that everyone kept mentioning? He had a feeling that they were about to find out.

The two soldiers acting as guards placed cuffs over each Toa's wrists and prodded them out of the cell. Kongu and Nuparu were ushered down several long halls, each nearly identical to the last. They passed many cells, most of which were occupied, and torches at even intervals lit the way. Finally, they exited through a heavy steel door and found themselves in a sort of lobby area with a high ceiling. The guards tugged them to the right, and Nuparu saw where they were headed: a set of heavy double doors. They were ornately decorated, covered in red and gold paints, as well as small golden accents depicting swirls of fire that protruded slightly.

The soldier who had given the serum to the Toa stepped up to the door first and knocked three times. A moment later, Nuparu could hear something sliding roughly from the other side, and the doors opened. The Toa were pushed inside. Once they were in, the doors were shut once more, their guards staying outside, and a heavy looking beam was slid into place, sealing the doors. _This place is well sealed,_ Nuparu thought. _What do they have in here that could be so important?_

He scanned the room. It was filled with strange machinery, a green liquid flowing through most of it. A sickly green light was consequently cast upon the entire room, bringing back unwanted memories of Voya Nui for both Toa. The most noticeable feature of the room was the massive wall at its far end. It resembled a giant cylinder, and large tubes were connected to it. A set of stairs was also attached, allowing access to the top. Nuparu assumed that the green liquid was being pumped from the inside of that cylinder.

It was only after examining most of the giant vat's workings that Nuparu noticed the woman, dressed in long black coat, black hair pinned up in the back of her head, who was descending the vat's stairs. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she was staring at the two Toa intently. When she finally reached the floor, her determined face broke into a smile and she practically ran toward them. "Finally!" she said. "You're here! I've heard so much about you two, and I've had trouble finding the time to meet with you, but… we did it. And you _do_ look fascinating…" She began to circle the pair, hovering around and examining them. "Armor everywhere, and organic tissue underneath? Hmm… and the eyes." She grabbed Kongu's face and looked closely at his green orbs. "Is that machinery in there!?" she cried excitedly. "Brilliant! Oh, discovering your secrets will be such fun."

"Pass-pardon my interruption," Kongu said, "but who are you, and what in Mata Nui's name do you think you're doing with us!?"

"Oh my," the woman said, stepping back and looking a little concerned. Not a second later, she came forward again, smiling even bigger than before. "It speaks our language, and feels complex emotions! Oh, it just gets better and better… Anyway, to answer your question, I am Zhora, lead military scientist for the Fire Nation. And I intend to examine you so that I can perfect my serum that cancels bending. I'm told it works just fine on you, despite the fact that you clearly aren't human, which honestly excites me to no end. There's always more to learn, room to grow, and you'll help me achieve greater levels of success in my work."

Three knocks at the doors. "Oh, what could they want now… Let them in," Zhora said with a sigh. The guards inside the room removed the bar again, and the doors opened once more to admit another soldier, this one wearing a mask similar to the one on the soldier that had escorted the Toa. "Ah, Lieutenant Jomin. What news?"

"Mistress Zhora," the soldier said, "we have completed the test with the serum bomb that you requested."

"And the results?" she asked, looking eager again.

The soldier hesitated. "All test subjects were… killed, Mistress. The serum seemed to take effect, but they passed only moments after."

Zhora looked thoughtful, and turned away. She paced a few steps, then threw her head back and laughed. "It works, then!" she shouted.

"Mistress, I thought the serum is designed to simply take away the ability to bend the elements," the soldier said, tilting his head.

"And can those people bend anymore?" Zhora asked, coming close and grabbing the soldier by the shoulders, smile as wide as it had ever been.

"N-no, Mistress," the soldier stammered.

"Then it works _perfectly_!" Zhora said. She stepped back and giggled quietly. "I'd want to try it on you two," she said, looking at the Toa, "but I can't afford to lose you. People who can bend are expendable, but not you. You two are unique. I'll have to find a way to use you for research but also keep you alive. That will take some thought… For now, I think we'll just put you on a slightly higher daily dose of serum." She moved to a small desk and wrote something down on a small slip of paper. "In a day or two, I'll begin my full experiments. Guards?" The two soldiers from before answered the call and stepped back into the room. "Escort our guests back to their room. And give this to the captain." She gave the paper she'd written on to one soldier. "All right then. I'll see you two tomorrow! And Lieutenant? Run another test with the serum bomb. Same specifications." With that, Zhora turned around and moved back toward the giant vat while the soldiers pushed Kongu and Nuparu out of the room. The doors closed behind them.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Nuparu said.

"No kidding!" Kongu said. "I told you they were gonna do experiments on us."

"Maybe they'll be non-invasive."

"After what I just saw-witnessed, I'm not getting my hopes up. She's as crazy as Karzahni. Maybe worse."

"We'll figure a way out of this," Nuparu assured his friend. "We always have. Plus we have our friends to count on."

"Right, right." Kongu was silent for a moment. Then he spoke up again, "I told you we should have tried to escape."


	12. Friends

"Sorry we... kind of attacked you," Hahli said to the young girl, Katara. The Toa and the young beings they had encountered had just gotten out of the forest they had met in. Sokka was leading them on to a place he claimed was "super secret", so he wasn't telling them where or what exactly it was. "We never meant to harm you, I promise. We just wanted to prove that we weren't really hostile, I suppose."

"I understand," Katara said, hurrying her step for a moment to keep up with Hahli's long stride. "Sokka was right; we're all on edge after what happened to us last night. We'd be cautious of just about anything right now."

"Of course," Hahli said. "You just wanted to be safe, to protect each other. That is honorable. In the end, though, I'm glad we're able to talk as friends."

Up ahead on the path, Hewkii was having his own conversation with the smallest member of the young trio, a boy named Aang. "So you're telling me," Hewkii said, "you rode a giant sea serpent, and used it to save an entire village from being destroyed?"

"Yep," Aang said, donning a look of sarcastic smugness. "All in a day's work for the Avatar."

"Wow... Kind of makes me hope something like that will happen for me back home." Something struck him about what the young boy had just said. "Wait... Avatar?"

"That's me," Aang said with a grin, running a hand through his short dark hair. "Wielder of all four elements, bridge between the human and spirit worlds, and, hopefully, bringer of balance."

"We've heard about you," Hewkii said. "There were rumors that you were dead. That was partially why we came here, to save the world in case you were... y'know."

"You three? Save the world?" Aang looked skeptical.

"Sure," Hewkii said with a shrug. "We've done it at least twice before, and helped several more times. Not this world, though, obviously. Our world."

"You have a different world?" Aang asked, looking more confused by the second.

"Er, yes. Another planet, far away. Or maybe in another dimension entirely..."

"I have no idea what that means," Aang said, "but I'll take your word for it." He gave the Toa of air a reassuring smile.

At the head of the pack strode Jaller and Sokka. "I hope you know we never meant you any harm," Jaller said.

"Oh yeah," Sokka said. "It's all good. I probably would have done the same thing if I were you. Especially if I a were seven feet tall..." He gave the Toa of fire a good look up and down, something he'd been doing every five minutes since the two groups had made peace. "...whatever you are."

"Thank you for understanding," Jaller said, trying to ignore the curious stare. "We are strangers to this world, and we need all the help we can get."

"What do you need help with? You said something about looking for someone, right?"

"Yes. In a battle with a Fire Nation army, two of our brothers were lost. They were using some kind of serum to take away our elemental abilities. That had already weakened them, then when their masks were removed... it was too late to save them."

"So you guys are all benders?"

Jaller chuckled. "I believe that is what you call it here. Yes, we are able to manipulate the elements as some of you are, but it works a bit differently for us."

"And what about your masks? Are they important?"

Jaller sighed. _I keep forgetting how different this world is from my own..._ "Our Kanohi masks provide us with strength. Each also carries a unique power. Mine, for example, sends out sonic waves that let me maneuver by echolocation." He nearly mentioned how that ability had been much more useful in Mahri Nui, but decided he didn't want to tell that long story right now.

Sokka nodded. "Very interesting. Kinda creepy, but interesting. Aha!" he cried excitedly. "We're here!" He led the others up the crest of a hill and on the other side, they found a wide field, covered in bright green grass, ending in a cliff that dropped straight down to the sea. "Home sweet temporary home." He swung his head, scanning the area. "I wonder if Toph is awake yet..."

"Another friend of yours?" Jaller asked.

"Yeah," Sokka said, beginning his descent of the hill. "She pretty much always sleeps in until noon when we don't wake her up." He stepped around another hill, then ran to something on the other side. Jaller picked up his pace to see what was there. He saw a nearly pyramidal structure made purely of stone jutting out from the grass. Sokka was pounding on the outside of it. "Toph!" he yelled. "Wake up! We have... guests!"

"Go away..." mumbled a voice from within. "Five more minutes."

"I really think you'll wanna meet these guys, Toph," Sokka said, clearly trying to sound persuasive. "They may be able to help us with the invasion."

"Good for them," said Toph from inside. "Have fun with that."

Sokka sighed, walking back to where the others stood. "She'll come out when she's ready. Maybe. Anyway, let's have some lunch, then we'll talk about... whatever it is we need to talk about."

"Oh good," Aang said. "I'm starving!"

Within the hour, they were all sitting on the grass in a circle, a hot meal prepared, and the kids were munching away. They offered the Toa some pieces of fruit, and tried not to freak out as each Toa absorbed the energy from the fruit, leaving them as dried husks. The Toa did look more alert, though, so they figured they had done their duty in feeding their guests.

"So," Sokka said through a mouthful of rice, "do you guys know anything about where your friends might be?"

"Only that they are here, in the Fire Nation," Jaller said. "We followed the army through the ocean, but lost them yesterday. We were hoping you would know somewhere they might keep prisoners."

Sokka rubbed his chin in thought. "I've heard of a few prisons around. They could be in any of them."

Hahli looked down in frustration. "So we have nothing to go on," she said, her voice a mix of sorrow and anger.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Sokka said. His eyes had lit up, as though coming upon some great epiphany. "See, we're planning an invasion of the Fire Nation capital soon. It takes place on a day where all fire benders' powers are canceled. They're nearly powerless, and unable to defend themselves. We intend to swoop in and finish them off. Maybe, if you help us out on that day, we could help look for your friends."

"You're taking on an entire nation by yourself?" Hewkii asked, incredulous.

Aang chuckled. "Of course not," he said. "We've got lots of friends from around the world coming to help out."

"We'll have plenty enough to keep the Fire Nation busy," Katara said. "There should be plenty of time for you to search the prisons, and we'll all keep an eye out."

The three Toa looked at each other. "It's our best shot," Jaller said. "And we can help to topple the evil here as well. Are you in?"

Hahli nodded enthusiastically. "A chance to save my brothers _and_ hurt the Fire Nation?" she said. "Sounds like a plan."

Hewkii nodded as well. "Whatever helps us save Kongu and Nuparu and gets us home. I'm in."

Sokka rubbed his hands. "I can't wait to tell Dad that we've got three more troops!" he said excitedly.

* * *

Kongu opened his eyes groggily. He tried to lift his hands to his head, but found that his forearms were bound to the chair he sat on. What was happening? How had he gotten here? He had vague memories of a soldier giving him a syringe-full of a serum, different from the one that canceled his abilities. This one had a burnt orange color and made his head swim immediately. His consciousness had faded, making him feel kind of like he did when he woke up after not getting enough sleep: mindless, unaware.

Now he was here. A small stone room, lit by two torches, one set into either side of the room. No windows. And...

Someone sitting across from him. It was her. Zhora. _A_ _crazy-mad scientist if ever there was one_ , Kongu thought.

"Ready?" she said. Her long black coat rustled softly as she crossed her legs and prepared a pad of paper resting on her raised leg, pen poised to write.

"To leave?" Kongu replied. "Oh yes, I'm ever-ready to get out of your Mata Nui forsaken stinkhole."

Zhora smirked. "I've brought you here for an interview. I want to know more about you."

" _I_ want to know what it looks like outside this place. Mind showing me?"

"Not likely."

"So I have a chance?"

The smirk disappeared. "What is your name?" she asked, eyes moving down to her paper.

Recalling how he used to introduce himself, he sat up straight in his char and said, "Kongu, fastest leaf-runner! Everquick pilot! Weaver, mapmaker! Toa of air!"

Zhora scratched idly on her pad. "Kongu... Leaf-runner... right, what was the rest?"

Kongu slouched. "I am a Toa of air."

"Good enough." She wrote this down as well. "Where are you from, Kongu?"

 _Not a very quick hear-listener, is she? All right then..._ "I was originally from the ever-grand city of Metru Nui, but Makuta drove us all out. After that, I lived on Mata Nui for about a thousand years. Le-Koro will always be my heart-home, even though it got destroyed. I still far-miss it sometimes. Eventually, that world got obliterated by a moon and I had to move to Spherus Magna with the others." He smiled winningly.

"So..." Zhora said, scratching more words onto her paper. "Spherus Magna?"

"Sure, let's work with that. It is the most recent, but I feel that it isn't the most important to my long-history. If you really want to get to know me, you should let me tell you about my daring deeds of strong-bravery in the Bohrok wars."

"Perhaps another time," Zhora said quickly. "I only have one more question for now. What are your abilities in regard to the elements?"

"I told you earlier."

"Tell me again, please," she said, a hint of exasperation showing in her voice. "And in more detail." Her eyes widened after she spoke, regretting that final word.

"Of course. Like I said earlier, I am a Toa of air. Now, don't get crazy-confused by the word Toa. It isn't so much my species as my title. It means 'hero'. As in the kind of hero that puts beings like you out of their sad-misery."

"What is the extent of your abilities?" Zhora asked, ignoring him once more.

"You should release me and I'll show you."

"Words will do."

"I suppose that's good, as those are my second specialty, just behind being an ever-great Toa hero. I can manipulate air currents, move things up and down. Move air in, push air out. Make tornadoes, even. If it has to do with air, I can probably do manage it."

More writing. "And what about your mask? It seemed to have a link to your power in some way."

Kongu hesitated. "I feel less inclined to speak-tell you about that part."

"So it _is_ important!" she said, hurrying her writing.

Kongu mentally kicked himself. He didn't want to help her know more about ways to get at him or his friends, but even the avoidance of the topic had tipped her off. "You know, I have some questions for you as well."

"That isn't the point of this meeting, Kongu."

"I was going to ask about what all that sparkle-fancy machinery you have was for," he said. "If you don't have an explanation, though, I can only assume that isn't for anything important.

Zhora stopped writing. For a moment she was silent and still. With a sigh she stood, setting her writing materials on her chair, and stepped toward Kongu. She looked down on him from above and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I am heading a work that will change the world," she said in a dangerous sounding whisper. "You've seen my serums, my prisons. They can cancel out bending, but only temporarily. It's impressive, even to me. Such technology has never existed. But even those things are just a... foretaste." A steady warmth began to come from her hands, seeping into Kongu's shoulders.

"One day, very soon," she continued, "the world will be powerless before the Fire Nation. All will fall, and everyone will know that it was by my hand that they were brought down." Zhora's hands were going from warm to hot. Her eyes were widening, and Kongu questioned the wisom of his prior goading. "It's all coming together here. I will change the world forever, for the glory of the Fire Nation. The world will be cleansed, and only fire will remain."

Just as the power coming from her hands began to feel truly painful to Kongu, she released him, a few whisps of smoke coming off of his armor. _This one really is mad-crazy,_ he thought.

Zhora stepped back to her chair and picked up her supplies. "This meeting was not as productive as I would have liked. Perhaps your friend will be more compliant."

"He is the smart one," Kongu said. "You should have known that picking the fun one wouldn't get you anywhere." He resisted a smile as she opened the door in the back of the room and left, closing it behind her. "Hey!" he called. "Don't leave me here!" He sighed and sat back in his uncomfortable chair and set himself to thinking about a way out.

Soon, however, he thought, _This is boring_. A moment later, he was humming a song of old Le-Koro.


	13. Invasion

_3 days later…_

Hahli extended her protosteel claw, hefting the familiar weight on her arm. Almost immediately after, she retracted it again. It had become a repetitive, nervous motion. She, Jaller, and Hewkii had been waiting in a cave at the edge of a beach to the north-east of the Fire Nation capital. Jaller stood at the mouth of the cave, looking out at the ocean, where the main force of the invasion was sailing into the Fire Nation's harbor.

"Can't we go now?" Hewkii said, voicing Hahli's own unspoken question. "We've been here for at least an hour. Surely they've reached the shore by now."

"Not yet," Jaller said. "Almost, though. The Fire Nation isn't letting them in easy. They are surprisingly well prepared for something like this, but… our friends are strong. They appear to have made it through with no casualties so far." Hahli noted that a hint of pride touched his voice. They had only known these beings for a few days, yet the Toa of fire seemed quite attached to them. _Can't say I'm not,_ she mused. _I feel it too. A desire for justice, for these people to succeed. For them to be free. I don't know them well, yet I care for them as I would for my own people._

"Maybe I'll take a nap," Hewkii said, leaning back against the stone wall of the cave. "Got plenty of time, and the sound of the ocean is quite soothing. Even if I do have to tune out the sound of distant warfare in the background."

"A little late for that, Hewkii," Jaller said, holding up a hand while maintaining his gaze outward. "Just a little closer, and… _now_!"

"Finally!" Hewkii said, jumping to his feet. He followed Jaller out of the cave.

Hahli soon joined them, running into a grassy, hilly area beyond the beach. _Mata Nui, let them be here somwhere. Let them be alive…_ She shoved those concerns out of her mind. This was a time for a different task; one that would aid the invasion.

"Remember the plan?" Jaller asked his companions as they ran alongside him.

"Get into the library as stealthily as possible," Hahli recited.

"Grab whatever looks like it has valuable information," Hewkii continued, "then return it the boats."

"Right," Jaller said with a nod. "And once that's finished, we're free to search for Kongu and Nuparu. Now, the library should be just up over this hill." The trio crested the final knoll and saw it: a rectangular building constructed of dark wood, placed at the edge of what appeared to be a business district. Shops with expensive looking wares lined the streets leading up to the library and the square beyond. The library itself was quite inconspicuous, easily missed among the flashier buildings placed around it, which made Jaller all the more curious about what secrets it contained.

Jaller led the way down the hill, scanning the area for any Fire Nation soldiers. He spotted none, but still tried to keep low as he sprinted across the field toward the library. He reached the back and moved to the corner, peering around the edge. Hahli and Hewkii stopped behind him. "Trouble?" Hahli whispered.

"Hold on," he replied. He eased around the first corner and crept forward quietly along the side. He could hear voices now—two of them—coming from the front of the library. He held up two fingers as a signal to his teammates. He waved Hewkii to circle around to the other side. The Toa of stone nodded and took off at a quiet but quick pace.

Jaller waited several moments, giving his brother time to get in place. Letting out a breath, he gave a sharp whistle, and hurled himself around the corner with his blade drawn, while Hewkii did the same from the other side.

They both stopped short as they came upon an aged woman and a young boy sitting on a bench in front of the library. They sat, silent and wide-eyed, staring at the two alien beings that stood before them with raised weapons. They both gave cries of fear, stood up, and hurried off toward the center of the village.

"Well, that was awkward," Hewkii said, lowering his warblade.

Jaller groaned as he sheathed his blade. "Let's just… get this over with." Hahli rushed up to join them as they entered the library. The door, ornately painted in flowing red and gold, opened into a musty, crowded room. All sides were lined with stone shelves full of books and scrolls, and several tables dotted the floor. "Go!" Jaller commanded, and the three Toa split up. Each went to a different area of the room, picking up random documents and rifling through their contents.

Jaller grew excited as he came upon a scroll with a detailed blueprint of a Fire Nation tank. _I think this counts as useful,_ he thought as he tucked it into his shoulder-pouch, one of three that had been given to them for this mission.

Hewkii, looking to reach some documents on a higher shelf, had dragged a chair next to the shelves. He stood upon it, reaching up to get what was surely valuable information. _Why else would it be so high up?_ he figured. The wooden chair groaned beneath him as he stretched. Despite the help from the chair, the top shelf eluded his reach. _How do these people get stuff this high!?_

With a final groan, the chair twisted and snapped. Hewkii grabbed for the shelves, grasping the second highest one so he didn't fall. The shock of his hands hitting the solid rock shelf sent vibrations along it's length, reverberating through the walls. The impact spoke volumes to him; he could feel that the structure of the shelf was quite large, larger than he'd first thought. He dropped do to the ground and looked at the shelf. It ran the length of the building, and reached from the floor to the ceiling, but it still appeared smaller than what Hewkii had felt. He placed his hands on the shelf once again. Using his elemental connection to stone, he delved into it, feeling out its size. It was definitely larger than it appeared to be. _Taller_. A quick feel into the other shelves in the library revealed the same conclusion.

"There's more to this than we can see," Hewkii said.

"What do you mean?" Jaller asked, looking up from a book.

"These shelves go down deep into the ground. I think this building has a basement."

"But there aren't any stairs," Hahli pointed out.

"So it's a _hidden_ basement," Hewkii said exasperatedly. "Which just goes to show that it must be important."

Jaller closed his book and tossed into his bag. "Worth a look, I suppose. Any ideas on how to access it?" A mischievous grin crossed the Toa of stone's face. "Ideas that do not involve the destruction of the entire building, please," Jaller amended.

"I'd suggest something like looking for a secret lever, but we don't have time for that. Instead, I shall propose a more direct method." Hewkii retrieved his warblade and flipped it upside down. He dug the tip into a space between two of the wooden floorboards and pulled back on the long haft of his weapon. With a groan, the board popped loose, revealing stone floor beneath. He and Jaller worked to remove a few more boards while Hahli continued searching the shelves.

When there was enough cleared space for Hewkii and Jaller to stand side by side comfortably, Hewkii shooed Jaller off the stone portion of the floor and placed his hands on it. With a grunt, his fingers dug into the solid rock. Cracks ran along the the surface, cutting it just at the spot where it was uncovered. Hewkii heaved up, removing the newly freed chunk of stone from the rest of the floor. He tossed it aside idly, where it mercilessly crushed an innocent table and three chairs.

Jaller peered down into the hole where the floor had once been. Only darkness greeted him there. _I don't want to just jump headlong into this thing and find out it was a giant pit instead of a basement_ , he thought. He crouched down, placing his hands on the edge of the hole, and dropped his body down into it. He let go with one hand and produced a ball of flame in his palm. It lit the room, revealing several more shelves, desks, and some cabinets, all full of more documents. The floor was only a few feet below him. "All clear down here," Jaller called up, dropping down to the floor. "You were right, Hewkii. Definitely lots more stuff down here."

Hewkii and Hahli soon dropped down as well. This room was just as large as the main floor, but less full. Books and scrolls occupied seemingly random positions on the shelves, while some lay open on desks here and there. Hahli examined one of these, an open scroll. Someone had been writing here, and the pen still rested beside the paper. She picked up the sheet and began to read:

_It will not tell me about its history. It has told me something of its nature, however. It describes itself as the natural enemy to the lion-turtle (beings I had until now doubted the existence of). It tells me of its hatred of the lion-turtles and everything they have done or brought into the world. I have no idea what significance this may have, if any. Regardless, I go along with it. Anything to earn its cooperation._

Hahli frowned in confusion, but placed the scroll in her bag. _Just because I don't know if it is important doesn't mean someone else won't._

"That's interesting…" Jaller mused, poring over a particularly large sheet he had laid out on a desk at the far end of the room. Hahli came to see what it was he was so interested in. "This appears to be a map of the Fire Nation royal palace. It provides a layout of all its main rooms, but look at this." He lifted the sheet to reveal another of equal size lying underneath. "This diagram shows a layout of about the same size, but is completely different. There are markings for things like a 'vat room', holding area, and so on. These two were bundled together, and look here." He pointed to a large X on the northern side of the bottom schematic. "And here." He dropped the top schematic back down, and pointed again. Another X marked the map in the exact same spot.

"Two levels of the same building," Hahli said. "Do you think the others know about this?"

"I doubt it. I would assume this is a well-kept secret. I found documents on the main shelves that provided information on the layout of the palace, including some not very detailed maps, but I never saw any mention of this."

"We should get this to Sokka and the others," Hahli suggested. "Aang is supposed to make a move on the palace to look for the Fire Lord. This could be useful for them."

"Right," Jaller agreed, rolling up the schematics and placing them in his bag, which was growing quite full. "Hewkii, I think we're gonna head out. You ready?"

"Hold on," Hewkii replied. He was standing by a shelf on the eastern side of the room, looking down on a scroll. "You should see this."

Jaller and Hahli hustled over to him. The scroll Hewkii was holding appeared to be a diagram for a weapon of some kind. It was composed of a long tube, with a mechanism on one end. "Wait," Jaller said. "This looks just like the weapons that the Fire Nation army had…"

"That's what I thought," Hewkii agreed. "From what I can tell, that army was something of a splinter group. Their gear wasn't standard issue. I can only assume, then, that this part of the library belongs to whoever was in charge of that army."

"That would make sense," Jaller said.

"Jaller," Hahli began, "the map of the palace!"  
"Yes, Hahli, I know it's important. We'll leave in a minute."

"No, think about it!" There was a deep sense of urgency in her voice. "You said you hadn't seen any records of that lower level anywhere else, right? But we found evidence of it here, in a secret library basement that seems to be owned by the people who captured Kongu and Nuparu."

Jaller's eyes widened in realization. "Oh…" he said. "I see. If the connection you're making is true, then…"

"We'll find them in the palace!" Hahli cried excitedly.

Hewkii stuffed the weapon plans in his bag. "Let's go then," he said. The others nodded in agreement. "No time to waste. Hahli, you go first." The Toa of stone cupped his hands together as he stood under the hole. Hahli placed her foot in his palms and reached for the opening. She grasped the ledge and hoisted herself up. Jaller soon followed, doing the same. Finally, they both reached down, each grabbing hold of Hewkii, and hauled him up.

They peered out of the library, just to make sure there was no one around. No sign of anyone, not even the woman and boy they had run into earlier. They hurried out then, racing back to the hills in the direction of the port.

Not too long after, they reached the raised cliffs to the right of the port. The three Toa looked down on the long stretch of white stone below. Wrecked Fire Nation vehicles and fallen soldiers were strewn about. "Looks like things are going well," Jaller said. "See Sokka?"

"There," Hahli said, pointing to the farthest end of the port. Jaller could just make out Sokka, dressed in his warrior garb, talking with Katara and their father.

"Think you could get his attention, Hewkii?" Jaller asked.

"From this distance?" Hewkii said. "Maybe if I still had my mask of accuracy. Let's move down a bit." They ran up the along the edge of the cliff a ways until they were practically right above where Sokka and the others stood. Hewkii brought up a small chunk of soft clay from the ground and chucked it toward them. It nailed Sokka in the shoulder. The boy grimaced and looked up to see where the projectile had come from. The Toa waved at him from above. Jaller pointed east toward the docked boats, a place where they could meet discreetly. Sokka nodded and took off.

Minutes later, the Toa met up with Sokka down below. "So how'd it go?" he asked with a smile. "Find anything good?"

"Plenty," Jaller said, shrugging the bag off his shoulder. "There is something we need to tell you, though."

"Where do you want these?" Hewkii interrupted, holding up his own bag.

"Over by the boats is fine," Sokka said. "We'll pick them up later." He looked to Jaller curiously.

"We found documents in that library that give us reason to believe that our friends are in the royal palace," Jaller said, "in a secret underground layer."

"Really?" Sokka said. "I didn't know there was a secret underground layer… I guess it wouldn't be very secret if I did, though."

"Now that we've got these back to you, we're going to head that way," Jaller continued. "Unless you need our help somewhere else, that is."

"I think we're good," Sokka said. "Everything's gone great so far. Aang's on his way to face the Fire Lord, and the main force is steadily moving forward from here. You guys can go on. I hope you find them."

"And we hope the invasion proves to be a success," Hahli said with a slight bow. All nodded in respect to each other before the Toa took off. _This is it,_ the Toa of water thought. _After all the waiting, we can finish this._


	14. Reunion

Hewkii felt like his legs were going to fall off. He had been sprinting for what felt like hours, and, despite his athletic build, it was quickly taking a toll on his muscles.

"Can't we rest for just a minute?" he asked between heavy breaths. "What use will we be if we show up at the enemy's gates like this!?"

"There's no time," Jaller said over his shoulder, running just ahead of Hewkii. "Look at the sun. We don't have long before the eclipse hits. We have to move as quickly as we can!"

Hewkii grunted in agreement and determination. He knew it had to be so. "So where is the capital exactly?" he asked. "Around that volcano?"

"Actually," Jaller explained, looking apprehensive, "it's _on top_ of the volcano."

Hewkii felt like he was going to cry. He examined the massive mountain that grew ever larger as they approached it. "Well, at least there's a nice path, even if it is narrow… and winding…"

"As tempted as I am to take a stealthier route, we'll definitely be taking that," Jaller said. "But we have to make it there first. Look!" He pointed ahead of them at a line of Fire Nation soldiers, dressed in standard black and red garb. They were gathered around the start of the path that led to the top of the volcano.

"Oh good," Hewkii said. "A fight _before_ we get to rest. Just the kind of challenge we like."

Hahli nodded as though he had been completely serious. "Let's do it!" she said, running a little faster. Hewkii thought she sounded far too gleeful, too ready to fight. _I like to punch bad guys in the face as much as the next Toa, but this is something else…_ he thought.

When they were about 100 yards off from the defensive line of soldiers, several of them shouted in alarm. Seeing anyone in this area was a surprise to them, let alone the fact that it was a seven-foot-tall being clad in blue armor. The crowd of soldiers formed up to face the oncoming trio, about 30 men in total. Hewkii and Jaller readied their weapons, but Hahli ran ahead, extended her claw, and brought up a wave of water beneath her to push her forward. With a savage yell, she charged the soldiers head on.

As she descended upon them, Hahli gathered her water above her, then slammed it down into the line of soldiers. The ones directly beneath her were flattened by the force of the small deluge, while the others were pushed away and into each other. Confusion reigned, and their soaked clothes and armor didn't help.

The Toa of water brought down blow after blow on the soldiers, flowing in the battle as though she were the very embodiment of her element: a swift, merciless current, cutting through all she came across. She struck with water and fist alike, sending spheres of water into their faces and following with rapid punches and kicks. Those who were quick enough and lucky enough to attempt a blow found their blasts of fire dissipating into nothing or rebuffed by defensive circles of water. Men dropped, unconscious, wherever she flowed.

When Hewkii and Jaller finally arrived to join the fight, she had already taken out three quarters of the force. Fire and stone joined the barrage of water and soon, no soldier was left standing.

"Nice work, Hahli," Jaller nodded, trying to keep the shock out of his voice. The Toa of water only nodded in response, her breathing quick and deep, but slowing.

"Looks like the way is clear," Hewkii said, looking up the volcano's path. "Let's go!" The Toa began their ascent, Hewkii using his control over stone to give them lifts from one level of the criss-crossing path to the next.

They reached the top in what Hewkii figured must have been a record time. They sprinted through the ornate gate built into the mountainside, ready to encounter more defenses. None greeted them. "Where is everyone?" Hewkii asked, surveying the area.

"Looks like nobody's home," Jaller said, stowing his blade. "Don't look this gift mahi in the mouth. Let's keep moving."

They ran on, eating up the white pathway that led straight to the center of the city. The way was clear, all the way down the majestic, Y-shaped palace in the middle of it all. The large gate wasn't even closed. "That's the palace," Jaller said. "We'll find the entrance to the lower level in the left wing."

As they approached the massive, closed doors of the palace, Hewkii gave a grunt of effort as he drew up a chunk of stone from the ground and hurled it at them, completely demolishing them. "No time to waste, right?" he said in response to the surprised looks his fellow Toa gave him. The Toa entered the palace, winding their way down dark wooden halls lit by ornate braziers placed every few feet. They worked their way into the left wing, searching for one room in particular.

Jaller opened a door, revealing a small bedroom, furnished with a small bed and a simple wardrobe in the corner. Light filtered in through drawn white curtains on the window on the opposite end of the room, giving the space an odd, ethereal look. "This is it," he said, stepping inside. "There should be an entrance in here somewhere…" He started searching for anything that could be used as a lever.

Hewkii entered the room and started tapping around on the floor with his feet and the butt of his warblade. _Normal, normal…_ he thought, listening to the sounds. _Normal… hollow!_ He rammed the shaft of his warblade down into the floor. It penetrated the wood, then kept going. "Yep," he said. "Definitely right here. And don't act surprised at me." He grinned at the others, who were giving him that wide-eyed look again. "You should expect this kind of tactic from me by now."

"No worries," Jaller said, stepping forward to the small hole Hewkii had created. He drew his power-blade. "I think it's my turn now. Stand back please." Hewkii took a few steps backward, giving the Toa of fire some room to work. Jaller pointed the tip of his sword down at the hold in the ground, took a deep breath, and unleashed his element. A concentrated a blast of fire, almost entirely blue, erupted from his blade and licked at the floor. Hewkii thought that such a blast would have radiated outward with the force it contained, but Jaller was obviously exerting some influence over its size, keeping it small and concentrated, so as to only hit the floor, and with incredible intensity. The small puncture that Hewkii had made steadily grew into a gaping hole. Jaller stopped the flow of fire when it was about four feet in diameter, leaving the end of his sword and the edges of the hole still burning with a red glow. Without a word, he dropped.

Hewkii followed, and Hahli behind him. The place they were in now had absolutely no resemblance to the palace above. This was a stone tunnel, probably dug directly into the foundation of the palace. It curved off after several yards in either direction. "Which way?" he asked quietly, not wanting to be heard if there was anyone nearby.

"Right," Jaller said, taking off at a jog that way. "Prison room should be just up this way." He slowed as he turned the corner and saw a metal door set into the wall down the hall, with two guards standing outside it. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and launched a torrent of flame at the guards, knocking them off their feet before they had even fully registered his presence. Swift kicks to the head sent them into unconsciousness.

Jaller moved to the door then, placing his hands on the locked handle. Heat surged from his palm to the metal door, turning it red, then a whitish yellow almost instantly. The molten metal that used the be the door's lock dripped to the floor, hissing as it landed. He pushed on the door. It swung open soundlessly, revealing two armored beings lying on uncomfortable-looking beds in the stone room inside.

Kongu sat up, turning his maskless head to look at them. He grinned, but Jaller saw weariness in those green eyes. "Finally decided to see-show up, huh?" he said.

Hahli rushed forward ahead of Jaller and wrapped her arms around the Toa of air. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "It's my fault you're here. I should've done more to protect you…"

Kongu eyes widened in shock at first, but he eventually returned the embrace. "And I far-missed you too, sister." He gently pushed her back and looked her in the eye. "And I do _not_ guilt-blame you for what happened." Hahli held back a sob, and nodded.

Nuparu had dropped down from his bed and stood unsteadily, leaning on the wall for support. "Good to see you all," he said, approaching Jaller and giving him a solid fist-bump.

"You as well," Jaller said, smiling at his brother. "Let's find your gear and get you out of here before someone finds us."

As Jaller turned away, Nuparu put a hand on his shoulder. "No, Jaller," the Toa of earth said. "There's something going on here."

"What do you mean? Whatever it is, we can deal with it later."

"The woman who owns this place, Zhora, is planning something big here. She's hinted at it to Kongu and I, and we've discussed what she told us. We came to the conclusion that she intends to wipe the world of 'bending'."

Jaller's mouth dropped opened in surprise. "She wants to take away everyone's elemental abilities? Why?"

"We think-believe she only wants only to do it to everyone who doesn't control fire," Kongu chimed in. "That is, everyone who isn't her foe-enemy."

"Which would leave the world nearly powerless before the Fire Nation," Nuparu finished. "She's putting her plan into motion during some eclipse that's happening soon."

"I'd guess that's about fifteen minutes from now," Hewkii said. "If we want to stop her, we better move fast."

"Can you walk?" Jaller asked his maskless brothers.

"We might need some support until we find our masks," Nuparu said. "Prison life hasn't been very kind to us. But once we've got our kanohi back, we should be fine."

"Right," Jaller said as he slid under Nuparu's arm to give the Toa of earth some support. Hahli did the same for Kongu, lifting him off the bed and onto his feet. "Let's move. The armory should be down the hall to our left."

"Yeah!" Kongu said in weary-sounding excitement. "Let's go take back our faces!"

The reunited team of Toa made their way down the dark stone hallway, Hewkii leading his with warblade and cordak blaster at the ready. They exited the tunnel and came into what appeared to be a large nexus area. The stone walls curved up into a dome, and several other tunnels led off at even intervals. A larger set of dual metal doors marked one side of the room. "How do they not get lost down here?" Hewkii wondered aloud. "Which way, Jaller?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I don't remember this part very well…"

"The armory is down the that hall," Nuparu said, pointing to the second tunnel to their left. "We've been taken to several parts of the complex, so I've seen it a few times. And it's easy to keep track; it was my job to know tunnels for several hundred years, after all."

Following Nuparu's direction, the Toa made their way further into the underground complex.

"So how did you all seek-find us?" Kongu asked.

"We were helping with an invasion of the Fire Nation," Hahli said. "We came upon a some documents and a map that suggested this secret area belonged to the people who took you."

"Invasion?" Nuparu asked. "Who organized it?"

"The Avatar," Jaller answered, "along with his friends. _Lots_ of friends, as it turns out."

"So he's not dead," Nuparu said with a smile. "Hope isn't lost for this world."

"It might be if we don't quick-hurry, though," Kongu said, making an effort to hobble faster. "If we hard-fail, they don't stand a chance."

"And what about us?" the Toa of earth said. "If we fail? She intends to wipe the world of bending, and we're still here."

"You're saying… she might be able to permanently take away our elemental powers just as easily as anyone else's," Jaller said.

"Her other toxins have worked on us before," Nuparu said. "I hate to admit it, but I'd bet this one will as well."

"I hadn't realized…" Hahli mused. "Should we really be doing this?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Hewkii said. "We can't run away. There's nowhere to hide. It's up to us to _stop it_. We face this head on, and win. Just like we always have." The others nodded their assent.

The five of them continued moving down to the end of the tunnel, where there was yet another solid metal door. A blast from Hewkii's cordak blaster made short work of it, and they filed inside. Swords, tube-guns, and the special black garb of the facility's soldiers lined the walls. In the back, a metal safe lay on the ground, about 4 feet in all dimensions. "Looks promising," Hewkii said. He gripped his warblade in both hands and swiped sideways at the safe. The top of it flew off, sliced cleanly, granting entrance to the supposedly secure box. "Really poorly thought out," he added. "I mean, you could just take one of those swords on the wall there and open this thing."

"They probably wouldn't have your strength, Hewkii," Jaller said. "Now grab what's inside; Nuparu isn't getting any lighter."

Hewkii did as he said, dipping his hand into the box. He retrieved a green mask and smiled as he tossed it to Kongu. The Toa of air caught it with one hand, placed over his face, and stood up from the Hahli's support, a healthy glow returning to his eyes. "Now _that_ feels sure-good," he said, shaking out his body as though to flush out all his previous weakness.

Nuparu's mask followed, and both soon had their weapons in hand as well. "All right," Nuparu said, checking the condition of his blaster blade. "We've got another world to save. Shall we?"

"Let's," Jaller replied, clapping his newly rejuvenated brother on the back. With that, the Toa Mahri took off as quickly as they could toward their final confrontation.


	15. Confrontation

The wooden bar that locked the entrance to Zhora's main lab gave way as Jaller plunged his sword between the doors, heated the blade, and slid it down. The twin metal doors swung inward without a sound. The gathered Toa stepped inside and saw a gathering of black-armored soldiers standing around the massive curved wall against the back of the room. None of them seemed to notice the intruding Toa.

"That's her," Kongu said, stepping forward and pointing to the figure that stood at the top of the vat's steps. Jaller saw... and listened.

"The time is almost here," Zhora said, voice loud and clear, reverberating throughout the room. "In a few moments, you can unleash your power, and no-one in this world will ever bend again!"

A strange sound filled the room then. A deep, guttural _humming_ , coming from inside the vat. Then a booming voice spoke, every word drawn out. "Good... My work will be complete... Thank you..."

"There's someone in there...?" Hahli said, awe filling her voice.

"Some _thing_ , more like," Nuparu said. "Whatever's in there is the source of her toxins. She must have some being in there that produces it. But why keep it in such a structure...?"

Zhora was speaking again. "Anything to be rid of the scourge of the elements, my friend. That... unnatural ability has been a blight on our world for far too long. I would've done anything for the world to be rid of it, and you have helped me to achieve it. It is I who should thank you."

"What's she speak-talking about?" Kongu said. "She doesn't deep-hate bending. She controls fire as well as anyone else in this Mata-Nui-forsaken place! I've eye-seen it; or, felt it, rather." Then he spoke loud enough for all in the room to hear and pointed up to Zhora. "Liar!"

Every head turned to look at him. Kongu could see Zhora's smirk across the distance. "Ah, Kongu," she said. "You brought your friends to me. How delightful. I always do enjoy having more playthings."

"We aren't here _for_ you," Jaller said, holding his blade firmly in both hands. "We're here to _stop_ you."

"Stop me?" Zhora gave a small laugh. "In a matter of minutes, this will all be over."

"Minutes?" Kongu said. "Why not just do it now? Or are you long-waiting on something?"

"What is he talking about?" the booming voice said.

"Nothing, nothing," Zhora said, speaking toward the vat again. "It is simply a distraction. Xeng!"

"Yes, my lady!" the lieutenant answered from the front of the crowd of soldiers.

"Take care of our guests," she commanded. "And do it quickly, please. Our time is almost here..." Xeng immediately began calling out orders to the soldiers, forming them all up to face the Toa.

"She's waiting for the eclipse to act, isn't she?" Hewkii said.

"Exactly," Nuparu said. "We have until then to stop her."

"Or stop _it_ ," Kongu said. "That thing mind-thinks she isn't a bender. We, however, know the deep-truth. I think that thing deserves to as well."

"Expose her for what she is," Jaller said. "I like it. But we have to get to her first."

"So we clear out the lackeys," Hahli said, extending her claw. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Don't be too sure," Hewkii said. "Remember how this went last time."

"It _won't_ happen again," Hahli said darkly.

The sound of two hundred swords being drawn filled the room as the soldiers armed themselves. "To victory, and Fire Lord Ozai's glory!" Xeng shouted. The men charged, and the Toa ran together to meet them.

As he blocked a sword from taking off his head, Jaller took a moment to think about how crazy this all was. This small army they faced outnumbered his team twenty to one, and threatened to permanently remove their ability to weild their elemental powers if they failed, yet here they were. Did they really stand a chance?

Did it matter?

He pushed his foe's blade away with a sweep of his own, then struck at the man's head with a fist, downing him. _One down,_ he thought, _and about a hundred and ninety-nine to go._

The gathered Toa stood in a circle, working their way straight through the center of the enemy force. Nuparu fought to Jaller's left, while Hahli fought on his right. Time after time, the Toa of fire struck with his heavy blade, striking flesh and throwing flame from its edge with every sweep.

The soldier before him now struck with his own sword, a thin, quick weapon, far smaller than Jaller's own blade. Jaller caught the blow with his weapon, gripping the handle in one hand and supporting the blade with the other. He turned his sword, diverting the man's weapon to the side and kicked at him, sending him sprawling backward into his fellows.

Two more men advanced on him, faces covered with metal masks. They both swung their blades at once. He was able to block one, but the other was too quick. It slashed across his thigh, cutting through his armor and breaking the tissue below. He grunted and hopped back. Jaller swung his blade, letting loose a wide swathe of flame that forced his assailants back.

An angry rumble came from the vat.

 _Not going to be able to fight like that_ , he thought, breathing heavily and ignoring the pain in his leg. _Unless they start throwing fire for me to absorb, I'll run out of power long before this is over if I keep that up_.

He moved forward again, ready for both foes this time. He struck at the man to his left, while throwing up a small but powerful puff of flame to his right.

Another rumble.

He heavy sword went straight through the man's guard, incapacitating him easily, while him fire kept the other soldier at bay for a few precious seconds. Another swift blow to that man yielded the same results as the first.

Something _pinged_ off of his shoulder. He looked to up and noticed soldiers stationed on the stairway around the vat, armed with tube-guns. They fired steadily, bringing a hail of darts on the Toa. "Watch out!" Jaller called. "They're using the darts again!"

"Hold them off for me," Nuparu said, jumping back from a man who was now encased in solid earth from waist to neck. "I'll take care of them." He handed his shield to Kongu, and the other Toa closed the gap in their circle, leaving Nuparu at the center. The others rotated so that Kongu stood between the gunners and Nuparu, holding up the shield to protect the Toa of earth while he worked.

Nuparu gripped the hilt of his blaster blade in both hands, holding it upside down, then plunged it into the ground, the sword sinking up to half its length into the solid ground. A flash of blue-green power traveled along the blade and into the earth below. Just outside the circle of Toa, a powerful quake erupted, throwing the soldiers that lay between them and the vat off balance.

The loudest rumble yet sounded from the vat.

The quake didn't stop there; it kept moving along the ground until it reached the massive vat, shaking it from the very foundation. The precarious steps around it shook, some falling off. The soldiers that stood upon it lost their balance as the world continued to shake around them. Most fell off, and the rest fell to chunks of earth tossed their way by Nuparu. The ground kept shaking until every step had been removed from the vat's outer surface and cracks ran along it, and Nuparu gave a satisfied grin. He re-entered the circle, retrieving his shield from Kongu.

"Finally!" Kongu said with relief. "I was getting tired. That thing must weigh as much as you do, brother."

Nuparu didn't reply immediately, as he was busy back-handing a soldier with his shield. As the man went flying backward from the blow, the Toa of earth said with a smile, "All muscle, Toa of the breeze. All muscle."

"Well done Nuparu," Jaller said. "Now, let's move while they're off balance!" He pointed to the still somewhat dazed mass of soldiers ahead of them. "Nuparu, cover our backs. Everyone else, push forward!" The circle rotated once more as the Toa Mahri obeyed the command. Jaller himself led the way, always keeping his sword in front of him, hacking and slashing wherever a soldier appeared close enough for him to hit. They ate up the distance between them and the end of the room. _We can do this,_ he thought. _Just a little farther..._

Kongu cried out to Jaller's right. The Toa of air had been fighting defensively, having no true weapon for fighting up close. He had to resort to quick bursts of air to keep his enemies at bay, while delivering quick punches and kicks here and there to down his foes. Now, he stumbled backward, a deep gash running across his chest. _One of their swords did_ that _?_ Jaller thought.

"Hold!" Jaller commanded. The circle stopped moving, closing the gap where Kongu once stood. "What happened, Kongu?"

"Soldier in the crowd got me, obviously," Kongu said, breathing ragged. "His sword... wasn't like the others. Bigger, stronger. He quick-moved on me just as I was attacking another."

"I saw him pulling back," Nuparu said. "It's Zhora's lieutenant, Xeng, the man who captured us at the Serpent's Pass."

"Everyone keep an eye out for him," Jaller said. "He may come back at us and try to take one of us again. Kongu, can you fight?"

"Not directly," the Toa of air said. "I'll provide what support I can, though."

"How about walking?"

"I can manage that, I think," Kongu said with a wry grin.

"Then let's keep it up." Kongu rose to his feet on unsteady legs. Seeing Kongu's wound had reminded Jaller of his own, which was really starting to painfully demand his attention. Clearing two more soldiers near him to buy some time, he placed a hand tight against his slashed thigh and heated the area with a quick burst of power to cauterize the wound. The heat didn't bother him, but the wound's presence was clearer than ever. But he couldn't let it stop him. He couldn't let _anything_ stop him.

They reached the vat without further incident. Jaller looked around, trying to find Zhora, the woman behind it all. He had to face her directly, force to expose herself before that... thing in the vat. _It should be able to sense it if she does_ , he thought. _That thing rumbles and groans every time one of us uses our powers. Should go the same for her._

Jaller looked up to where he saw Zhora last, at the top of the vat wall. He thought he caught a glimpse of black hair disappearing at its far end. "I think she's on top of the vat," he said to his team. "I need to get up there and face her. Will you all stay here and keep fighting?"

"Gladly," Hewkii said. "We'll keep you covered, and clear them out."

"Good. Mind giving me a lift?"

Hewkii obliged with a column of stone that erupted beneath the Toa of fire, starting to carry him up toward the top of the wall.

As Jaller was rising, Nuparu shouted, "Over here! It's—" He grunted as he barely blocked a solid blow from a large sword. The man who had dealt the blow was trying to move back into the crowd of soldiers.

"I see him," Hahli said. The two locked eyes, and she thought she could see fear in the retreating lieutenant's. Xeng worked backwards, then sideways, until eventually reaching the back edge of the army. He broke out and ran for the exit. "I can't let him go!" Hahli said, beginning to muster water beneath her.

"No, Hahli!" Jaller called from above. "Let him go! We need you here!"

"He has to pay for what he's done!" Hahli replied. Without another word, she launched herself on a wave that flew her across the dwindling army.

Jaller sighed, but there was nothing he could do about her now. He looked down on the remaining three Toa below him. They fought hard, and only a quarter of the army's forces remained. Hewkii looked up at him and nodded. _Have faith in us_ , the gesture seemed to say. And that's what he'd have to do. _Always._

As his stone pillar reached the top of the vat, Jaller turned. He could now see the full shape of the wall: It ran in a semi-circle, around sixty feet across, and protruded about twenty feet from the back wall. Then he looked down... and almost wished he hadn't.

The thing inside the wall was a large, almost gelatinous thing, resting inside a pool of sickly green liquid. It was so large that it nearly touched all sides of the wall at once. It glowed gently, putting out a soft green aura, and this gave it a somewhat ethereal appearance. Jaller got the feeling that it didn't quite belong here.

"Beautiful, isn't he?" Jaller looked up to see Zhora standing at the far left end of the wall, walking slowly around towards him. "A unique spirit creature, who naturally produces a substance which, when use d correctly, can cancel out a human's bending. A truly marvelous creature..."

"Yeah," Jaller said, gripping his blade hard, but keeping it by his waist. "And you're using it to win your war."

"War?" she said, moving a hand to her chest and widening her eyes. "A war on the elements, perhaps. The Fire Lord's pitiful war has no meaning to me. He's as guilty as any other, really, being a bender and all. He will have to lose his abilities just as everyone else will."

"Enough!" Jaller grabbed his blade with both hands and rushed her, careful not to step off the edge of the wall. He brought his blade down hard as he got close enough to her, expecting to find a puff of flame warding him off. Instead, a ringing _clang_ greeted him. Zhora had pulled a sword of her own, its metal tinted a dull red, leaving the sheath behind her back shaking. She kicked him back, surprising the Toa of fire with her strength.

"This should be fun," she said, smiling at him. "I haven't had a chance to use my sword for months. Training's only good if you keep using it, you know. And training from a man like Master Piandao is not to be wasted." Then she was advancing on him, blow after blow of her quick red blade raining on him. Jaller's sword became his shield as he caught her strikes on the wide blade. His arms, already tired from the battle beforehand, were burning from the strain of moving his heavy weapon with enough speed to match her lighter one. He was forced into a steady retreat, backing carefully along the curve of the wall.

"I'm quite impressed," Zhora said without letting up. "Defeating my army like that? No small feat. Each of them has been given training in the sword, though not as extensively as I have. But I'm also somewhat surprised. To me, it looks like you haven't had a day of sword training in your life."

"So what?" Jaller said through gritted teeth. "Training or no, I'm happy with the results I've gotten so far." He moved to stop a blow from above, but she feinted back and struck sideways at his midriff, delivering a shallow cut. She followed up with a quick kick to his injured thigh. He grunted and stumbled back.

"Sometimes, size is no match for skill," Zhora said, calmly raising her blade once more. "You have potential, but really, what are you without your bending?"

"I..." What could he say? Part of him chided himself for thinking too deeply about what she said, but another part realized that her words rang true. She clearly was outdoing him in terms of combat skill. He could always resort to his elemental abilities, but... what if he failed here? What if his abilities were cut off from him forever? "I wasn't always like this," he said. "I didn't always have this power. I was a fighter, a leader."

"They valued you for your mind, eh?" she said, walking toward him again. "Then what are you doing out here, fighting?"

Jaller struck as fast as he could, his sword igniting. Zhora caught his slash, supporting her blade with her off hand to stop the weight of his flaming sword.

She had stopped him... but only just.

 _I can win this_.

"I am a Toa," he said, still pressing with his blade. "And it is my _duty_ to fight." He pulled back, and made his assault.

* * *

"Where are you!?" Hahli shouted. She had pursued Xeng into the tunnels, but lost him almost immediately. Sounds of running feet echoed down the hall, but no matter how far she ran, she never saw the man. "Come out and face me!"

"Looking for me?" Hahli looked into the room on her right. Gray barrels lined the room, with just enough space to walk between the stacks provided to move through the room. Xeng stood at the front, arms crossed, greatsword hanging at his waist. "Only you followed me, eh? Must be pretty desperate to leave your friends like that."

"You might say that," Hahli said. Her claws extended quickly from her wrist and she began walking toward the lieutenant.

"You seem upset," Xeng said holding out his hands innocently. "Was it something I said?"

She ran at him then. He drew his sword in time to stop her savage swipe. "You took something from me," she said quietly. "I intend to collect."

"Revenge, then," Xeng said with a smile. "I can't wait for you to try." He stepped back and swung at her, forcing her to step away as well. He turned quickly and ran deeper into the room, disappearing around a corner. Hahli followed, running into the small labyrinth. The path branched off into several others, and she had no way to tell which he had taken. She picked the one closest to her, sprinting down its length. She wished she could move up and get a look at the room from above, but the barrels were stacked almost to the top of the room. It was a blind search.

Fire blossomed to her right, scorching arm. She stumbled to a stop, looking behind her. _He's a bender too?_ No time to think. She had to find him. By the time she was back to the corner, though, Xeng was gone again.

Hahli stopped running, taking a moment to rest. She formed a cooling layer of water around her burnt arm. She looked around, examining the barrels around her. What was in these? Some gentle taps gave the answer: something liquid. Not a very precise answer, but interesting nonetheless. She thought she felt vibrations in the more distant barrels, somewhere behind her...

 _I can find him with these!_ she realized. She extended her awareness fully into the liquid around her, feeling for the telling vibrations. _Behind... too far. Moving, now to the right._ From where she was now, there was only another wall of barrels in that direction. _I can work with that..._ she thought slyly.

She waited on the vibrations. _Closer, closer... NOW!_ She thrust her hand against a stacked barrel, slapped her palm against, and _pushed_ on the liquid inside. It exploded forward, going out the other side. She smiled as she heard a surprised shout. The other barrels above it dropped down and wobbled a bit, but stayed put.

Hahli moved into the other pathway as quickly as she could. Xeng lay on the floor, covered in a green substance, his sword and the partially exploded barrel lying next to him. The lieutenant's body twitched occasionally, and his eyes rolled around, giving away his panic. When he saw her approaching, he thrust out a hand, but nothing happened. He closed his eyes, resigned.

Hahli crouched beside him. "Doesn't feel so good to have your own toxin work against you, does it?" She rested her claw against his neck, letting it sit there, motionless.

He grabbed at his sword, but was clearly too weak to lift it. "The weakness is definitely unpleasant," he said. "But it doesn't matter. Doing this to me means nothing. We will still win, and the world will fall to the Fire Nation's might."

"Even so," Hahli said, applying some pressure to her claw, "it would be _so_ easy to finish..." Xeng swallowed hard, but said nothing. He only stared into her eyes, smiling.

"Perhaps you should join us," he said. "Your ruthlessness, your brutality. The qualities of a true warrior of the Fire Nation. I believe the Fire Lord would value—and pay well for—your services in the war."

Hahli stopped. Her? Fight for these... beasts?

_Ruthlessness._

_Brutality._

Those were the qualities of the beings she fought.

Yet this man said he saw them in her. And if she was honest with herself, she saw them too.

She closed her eyes and retracted her claws. "No," she said, standing. "I would never fight for you. I am not _like_ you. But..." She stepped on his shoulder and pressed down. She kept pushing until Xeng cried out and something _popped_. "I am a Toa, and I do not tolerate injustice." Hahli kicked him in the head, leaving him unconscious. She snatched up his sword, turned, and walked away.


	16. Resolution

Jaller's second wind was beginning to wane. No matter how quick his slashes, how precise his strikes, Zhora's blade was always there to meet his.

 _I'm handling this wrong_ , he thought. _She'll out-last and out-fight me at this rate. I have to go about this a different way._

Jaller took a few steps back, evading a slash aimed for his neck. He pointed to the tip of his sword at his foe, and let loose a jet of white-hot flame. Zhora was forced to retreat herself, backpedaling quickly to avoid the flames.

"Oh come on," she said once the fire had dissipated. "That's how you're going to fight me?"

Jaller smirked. "I think you can handle it." _And I intend to make you._

Zhora tried to close the gap between them, only to be forced back once more as a horizontal wave of fire flew at her. The wall they stood upon shook as the thing it held rumbled loudly. It clearly wasn't happy with the elemental power being used so close to it.

As Jaller regained his balance, he spared a glance for his brothers below. Nuparu, Hewkii, and Kongu still fought on, the once-massive army having dwindled to a precious few. Some were even abandoning the fight altogether. _How much time has this taken?_ he suddenly thought. _There probably isn't much time before the eclipse hits. I need to finish this_ now _!_ He swung his blade diagonally across the empty air in front of him, intending to launch a massive wall of flame, but the result was far smaller. _It's stopping up my elemental energies!_ he realized. _Outdone with the sword, prevented from using my full elemental power... this day is not going as well as I had hoped._

"In spite of your somewhat shameful tactics, you have lost, Toa," Zhora said, smiling smugly. "I expect the eclipse will hit in less than a minute, then you and your friends will be left completely powerless."

Jaller looked down, judging the distance between him and the ground. _Even I'd break something from a fall like that. Unless someone stopped me..._

"Less than a minute, huh?" Jaller said. He tossed his sword off the wall. "Then I guess I have nothing to lose." He ran at Zhora. With the weight of his sword gone, he was fast enough that she hardly had time to react before he slammed into her midsection... and kept moving forward. The awkward pair hung over empty air. As they began to fall, Jaller smiled and said, "Your move."

He could see the fear in her eyes. She tried to push him off, but his grip was iron, and she couldn't move her arms enough to attack him. This fall would break her, maybe kill her. Then her fear was replaced with anger. Zhora cried out in frustration and desperation as she thrust her fists toward the ground.

Twin jets of bright orange fire erupted from her hands, slowing her fall. She kept pushing with her fire until they were about ten feet off the ground, when her power seemed to suddenly give out, and they fell the rest of the way.

 _That would be the eclipse hitting_ , Jaller thought. He looked behind him and saw that Hahli had come back, and they had dispatched the remainder of the army. Now, they stared wide-eyed, shocked at his stunt. He nodded to them, silently applauding their success in the fight.

An enormous moan came from within the wall. " _YOU!"_ the thing within said. " _YOU LIED TO ME!"_

"No!" she cried, shouting to be heard from outside the wall. "Bending must be destroyed! The eclipse is going on _right now_! Go on, release your power!"

" _Not for you, human,"_ the thing said, tone darkening. " _I know your kind. You would not give up such power. You have... fooled me in some way._ "

"The eclipse," Jaller said, making the connection. "During the eclipse, all fire-benders' powers are neutralized. In effect, their abilities have already been removed... but only temporarily. If you hit them with your toxin now, it would be ineffective, and they would be right back to bending when it was over."

Another angry groan. " _I see..._ " the thing said. " _Very well. I shall do as you have asked..._ after _the eclipse is over._ "

Jaller's heart sank. This was _not_ the result he had been hoping for. "How do we stop it?" he said, looking to Zhora for answers.

"We cannot," she said, resignation in her tone. "It will send out a sort of signal to barrels of its essence that we have shipped across the world, causing them to dissipate into an airborne toxin that will cover everything, affecting everyone. And... we have some of it here as well."

"So we kill the creature," Jaller said.

"No!" Zhora said, some passion seeming to return to her. "To kill such a unique creature would be horrible loss! Besides... I'm not sure it can _be_ killed."

"Well," Jaller said, locating his fallen sword and picking it up, "if we don't try, we've already lost. Toa!" His team devoted their attention to him wholly. "In less than eight minutes, the creature inside this wall will unleash its power and remove the elemental abilities of everyone in this world. It's up to _us_ to stop it. Will you fight beside me, one last time?"

Every one of his fellow Toa nodded, smiling despite their injuries.

Jaller nodded back in satisfaction. "Let's get up top and take it out!" The five Toa stood next to the wall, and Hewkii once more summoned rising pillars of stone to bring them to the top.

"Please don't try to hard-knock _us_ off like you did the crazy lady, Jaller," Kongu said, elbowing the Toa of fire. "It's been a rough day as it is."

"I won't," Jaller said. "But I can't speak for the thing inside."

"Your cheer-happy words are truly inspiring for us all."

They reached the top in seconds. "Fan out, and give it all you've got!" Jaller commanded. The order was followed quickly. The Toa took up positions around the semi-circular wall, drew their weapons, and rained down a fury of elemental power upon the spirit creature within.

The room shook with the combined impact of five elements and the angry rumbles the creature gave. The wall made concerning _cracking_ sounds underfoot.

Tentacles appeared from the gelatinous form of the creature and struck with lightning-quick speed at the Toa. Only split-second reactions and slashes of blades prevented each from avoiding being knocked off the edge of the wall.

The structure heaved backward as it began to give at the site of the cracks Nuparu had made with his quake.

"Hewkii!" Jaller called, slicing a tentacle as it came his way. "Support the wall! If this thing gives, all that liquid in there will spill out!"

The Toa of stone quickly obliged, sending up diagonal blocks of stone out of the ground outside the wall that slammed into the falling portion. "That should hold it for awhile," he said. "But I would suggest getting out of here quickly."

The assault continued. Fireballs rained, gusts buffeted, water hailed, stone collided, earth tumbled. For all it seemed to frustrate the creature, it showed no sign of weakening. For every tentacle that was severed or otherwise destroyed, ten more seemed to grow to replace it. And the Toa's elemental reserves were beginning to run low.

"It's useless," Hahli said. "We need to try something else!"

"I don't know what else there _is_ to try," Jaller said. She was right, of course. This was a losing battle, and they all knew it.

" _Fools..._ " the thing said as their attack faltered. " _Did you truly think that I, a being whose very_ existence _opposes the power of the elements would be so easily affected by your abilities? Do not waste your energy so. You will lose your connections soon enough, as will everyone else in this miserable world._ "

 _That's it then_ , Jaller thought. _For all we've done, all we've accomplished, we can't stop it._

Hope left him.

A bright flash came from behind them. Jaller looked and saw three beings stepping out of a swirling purple vortex.

"Axonn!" he cried excitedly. "Krakua! And…?"

"Trinuma!" the third being said, removing its large gold mask, a kanohi Olmak. "My, don't you five look depressed. Look, we're here to get you back to the world you're _supposed_ to be in. Come on, let's get out of here before someone—" He cut off as he spotted a still-shocked Zhora standing well to the left of the massive wall, staring at the newly-arrived trio. "Well, this is kind of awkward."

" _Friends of yours?_ " the creature said. " _No matter. They will be as useless as you were._ "

"That a challenge?" Krakua said, approaching the wall and hefting his sonic vibration sword. "I don't know what you are, thing-inside-the-giant-wall and apparent enemy of my friends, but I have a feeling you might just be wrong." A tentacle shot out above the Toa of sonics and whipped down the entire length of the wall, flattening him into the side of it.

"Let us not be so quick to judge our foes, Krakua," Axonn said, gripping his axe.

"Agreed," Trinuma said. "How about a closer look?" He swung his kinetic shield behind him and released a blast of energy, sending him in a graceful arc up to the top of the wall. "Wow," he said upon seeing the creature. "You _are_ an ugly one."

The thing rumbled. " _I sense... power._ " A tentacle whipped out and snatched at the kanohi Olmak, ripping it free of Trinuma's grasp.

"Hey!" the tall Order member cried. "That's our ticket home!"

"Trinuma," Jaller said, hope daring to rise again in his chest. "This thing is going to eliminate the elemental abilities of everyone on this planet if we don't do something about it. Can you three help us?"

"You five weren't able to defeat it?" Triunuma said as Axonn and Krakua joined him on the wall. He turned and destroyed a tentacle that struck at him by bashing it with his kinetic tools, tearing the appendage to shreds. "Not sure what we'd be able to do. Maybe with the Olmak..."

"If that'll give us a chance, let's take it," Jaller said. "Everyone, focus on getting that mask back!"

The defensive fight became one of desperate offense. Elements, kinetic power, and pure energy flew as the eight heroes vied for possession of the precious kanohi. The creature was clever, transferring it from tentacle to tentacle, always keeping it just out of reach.

"I tire of this game," Axonn said. With a savage swing of his axe, he released an immense blast of power upon the beasts waving tentacles. Every single one evaporated into nothing, and the mask was left hanging in midair, just above where the energy had flown.

A figure streaked across the gap from out of nowhere, propelled by jets of fire, shooting across the gap, grabbing the mask, and soaring across the other side of the wall and down to the floor.

 _Zhora,_ Jaller thought. _What now!?_ "To her!" he said, pointing down. Everyone made a careful descent, eying the woman with caution. "Zhora, give us that mask."

"No," she said, grinning madly. "He took it from you... He said it bore power. I can tell. I can... feel it, somehow."

Krakua moved to attack her, but Trinuma waved for him to hold back. The tall being's own kanohi began to glow. "You want to help us," he said, in what Jaller considered a not-very-convincing tone.

"Of course," she said. A dull look had come over her eyes. "Anything for the Order."

"Why don't you try on that mask," Trinuma said. "Open up a portal for you and that creature."

To everyone's shock, she nodded in agreement. She placed the Olmak over her face. It shrunk to fit her, and began to glow. A trans-dimensional portal appeared not too far from her, closing in on her position.

Clarity returned to her eyes.

"No!" Zhora cried. "No, not like this!" She cried out in desperation, scrambling away from the vortex. She ran to the wall, clawing at its surface. "Help me! Please!"

" _You brought this thing on yourself,_ " it replied, seeming to know full well what was happening. " _You must face it._ "

"It was him!" she said, pointing to Trinuma. "He made me! I don't know how, but he did!"

No reply.

The portal was nearly upon Zhora. "The mask, Trinuma!" Krakua said. "It'll get swallowed up with her!"

Trinuma swore and started to run to her. He drew back his right arm, charging a kinetic blast.

Something flew from behind him and impacted solidly against the mask, knocking it from Zhora's face just as the portal swallowed her. All eyes turned to the source of the object: Axonn.

"You were right, Krakua," he said with a smile. "That knife _did_ come in handy." The Toa of sonics merely chuckled. "Now, let us get rid of this wall. I don't think that portal can handle such an obstruction." He formed up with the others, facing the section of wall that the portal was pushing against.

"Hit hard and fast," Jaller said. "We don't have much time!"

Powers were let loose once more.

Fire.

Water.

Earth.

Stone.

Air.

Sound.

Kinetics.

Energy.

All flew united, and the wall burst open. Fragments of stone flew and the liquid stored inside gushed out. All of it was swallowed up by the portal that moved forward once more, its path now open.

" _NO,_ " the thing said, sensing what was to come. " _MY TASK IS NOT COMPLETE."_

The portal touched the creature and began to expand. The creature _screamed_ as the vortex widened itself to fit the massive body. In moments, it was over, and room was empty except for the Toa, the Order members, and the unconscious army.

"That..." Kongu said, sitting down and breathing hard. "That was _way_ too close."

Jaller chuckled. "Indeed." He brought up his hand and ignited a ball of flame in his hand. "Our power is still here; we won." He closed his hand into a fist, dousing the fire, then extended it toward his friends. One by one, each put their own fist against his. "Thank you all. This day would not have been won without every single one of your efforts."

"Nor your leadership," Nuparu said, smiling broadly. "Your direction was invaluable."

"I was just glad to fight by your side," Jaller said. The fists parted.

"Hold on," Kongu said. "How in Mata Nui's name did you do that to her, Trinuma?"

Trinuma tapped his kanohi. "Great mask of charisma. It's like I converted her to our side... and I may have also thrown in some tips about how to use the Olmak..." He moved to the destroyed wall and picked up the fallen Olmak, now at its original size once more. "Well, shall we take you home?"

"Not yet," Jaller said. "We need to talk to someone first."

"Mata Nui..." Trinuma mumbled. "This job is taking far too long."

* * *

"You're back!" Sokka said, running to meet the Toa. They had found the boy and his companions, a mere fraction of the army that had invaded the Fire Nation, just as they were about to depart on Aang's flying creature. "And it looks like you found your friends."

"Yes," Jaller said with a chuckle. "This is Kongu and Nuparu." He gestured to each in turn. "How did the invasion go?"

Sokka's gaze fell. "Not so good. They knew we were coming, and had cleared out the capital before we'd even arrived."

"We noticed that," Hahli said. "The entire city was empty."

"Not just the city. The palace too. We didn't find the Fire Lord in time eclipse finished. Then their airships destroyed our boats, preventing our force from escaping. We... we had to leave my dad and many others behind."

Jaller's eyes became downcast. "I'm sorry," he said. "I wish we could have been here to help, but..."

"It's okay," Sokka said, a small smile returning to his face. "I understand, you guys probably had problems of your own. Anyway, quite a few of us were able to make it out. We'll have our day... just not _this_ day."

"I have no doubt," the Toa of fire said.

"What about you guys? Find anything else interesting in the palace?"

"Ah..." Jaller wasn't sure what to say. "Not really. Just found these two in some old prison cell."

"Huh," Sokka said, frowning. "I kind of expected a better story, considering those." He looked to the wounds on Jaller's thigh and Kongu's chest.

"A story for another time," Jaller said. "For now, though, I'm afraid we must go. We have friends waiting for us back home."

"I understand. It was good to meet you all."

"And you, Sokka." Jaller bumped fists with the boy. "Perhaps one day, we'll meet each other again, after you've won this war."

"Lookin' forward to it." The boy smiled, nodded to them all, and went back to join his friends.

Jaller turned his back and left as well. The five Toa walked in silence back to the grove of trees where the Order members waited.

"Do you really think they stand a chance?" Hahli said.

Jaller was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Absolutely. If we could overcome something like a mad scientist, her army, and a giant spirit creature that cancels our powers, I think those ones can overcome anything."

Finally, they reached the others. "Are you ready to go _now_?" Trinuma said, a wry grin behind his mask.

"Karzahni yes," Hewkii said. "This whole adventuring in a new world thing has been... great, I guess. Not so keen on the life-threatening parts, yet I have to admit, it was interesting. But... I'm ready to go back."

Jaller smiled. "Agreed. Let's go, Trinuma."

Trinuma donned the kanohi Olmak and opened a portal that led back to Spherus Magna.

 _The old world,_ Jaller thought as he stepped through it.

_Our world._

* * *

_**Notes & Final Thoughts** _

**What follows here is just a bunch of parting words I have for you, my reader. You don't have to read them, but they're here if you're interested.**

**This chapter officially concludes my first fanfic. If you've stuck with me through the overly long creation of this story, I thank you and applaud you! This story may not seem like much, and it is _definitely_ imperfect (it's basically a first draft, after all), but it feels important to me. This is the longest story I have ever written. The longest story I've _finished_. And it feels good.**

**To say I'm completely content with the project would be a lie. As I mentioned, I feel that this story is flawed in several areas. Right now, however, I have no intention of going back to fix them. I really want to keep moving forward and work on other projects. Perhaps I will eventually revise a few things (which could be influenced by reader opinion, if there is any), but for now I'm going to let it be.**

**Once more, I would love to hear from you. Reviews, comments, criticisms, I'll take it all. Leave a review, send me a PM. I'll read it. And it will make me really happy. (To everyone who has left me a review in the past [or favorited/followed], you're the best.)**

**Thank you _so_ much for reading. It's been fun, and I hope you have enjoyed this story.**

**~Kookie**


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